YOU are the manager

[Knox_Harrington]

We all come on here and all have a sense of what each other thinks the Mighty Boys in Red should do going forward. But what would you do if you were given the reins of another club? Within the bounds of likely plausibility and with targets already mooted (for instance we all know that United have had an eye on Benzema for a while) what would you do this summer to reshape that side?

 

I've given "established posters" homework at the bottom of this thread (some considered, some random). If your name isn't amongst then apologies and pick a side. Call me a didactic c*** all you like but as far as I'm concerned it's more fun this way. And it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

 

However, I'll take Man United as an opening and play along if you like and don't if you don't.

 

Manchester United

 

United are in a really interesting position speaking as impartially as it's possible to do. They are champions and made the European Cup Final but there are questions all over the pitch but they've probably got about 100m to spend.

 

After Quieroz went the shape seemed to change last year and never quite seemed settled. They can go in any direction tactically with the personnel they have and have the money to do it. Apart from, possibly, the formation which the manager always goes back to: 4-4-2. They don't appear, without Hargreaves, to have a centre midfielder able to play that way. Carrick is a good player but can get overrun. Anderson's ability remains under question though his workrate doesn't. Fletcher is another good player, he'd look a world-beater alongside a Keane, but who that Keane is is a massive question. Scholes and Giggs are both ageing. Further to this they don't appear to have the wide players for a 4-4-2. Both Fletcher and Park could offer balance to a Ronaldo on the opposite flank but now he's gone you would be looking for two Valencias, maybe even two Riberys, to replace him. And two very attacking wingers further places pressure on the centre mid which doesn't have a talismanic midfielder who leads.

 

So 4-3-3. But that begs the question what to do with Rooney and Berbatov who could make a more orthodox front two. Indeed, there's an argument that Berbatov can't work in a 4-3-3 and that a 4-2-3-1 with Rooney in behind Berbatov would be more dangerous. but again, the question returns about the centre and wide midfielder. Further, the 4-3-3 used against Barcelona in the final was too flat and too often after the first goal became a 4-5-1.

 

Ferguson's side changed after seeing how Roma used Totti as a theoretical centre forward who played more in behind the invisible man. Ferguson has always stolen from his opponents - one of his big strengths. The side I'd look to steal from on this occasion would be Barcelona. The way Barca lined up against United in the final was fluid but more often than not it appeared to be something like:

 

---------------Valdez-----------------

Puyol---Toure---Pique---Sylvinho

-------------Busquets----------------

----------Xavi--------Iniesta---------

----------------Messi------------------

---Eto'o---------------------Henry---

 

Essentially Messi in behind no central striker, able to play with the midfield, sit on the deep-lying midfielder or push on into space. Eto'o and Henry spending much of their time hassling and playing in behind their full backs and cutting in between them and their centre halves. Messi's role had similarities with Totti's around 2006, movement around him and beyond him but him as the focal point.

 

Neither Rooney nor Berbatov are Messi but both would have the physicality to play that role in this league. This shape also puts less onus on the holding midfielder. United are going to struggle to find a Keane to box to box it in a 4-4-2 but they may be able to find a (almost certainly poorer) Mascherano while the role is one Hargreaves could play if fit and that Carrick could play against poorer sides especially at Old Trafford.

 

So of the front six the tougher question is who plays the roles of Xabi/Iniesta and Eto'o/Henry. Firstly, were I United manager, I'd have Eto'o. Presuming Tevez goes I'd have Benzema. Looking around 45m for the pair there. Rooney could play either flank cutting inside (more advanced than his role often seems at the moment) but I'd start him in behind where possible. Berbatov makes up the role of the fourth forward, arguably though, he's only able to play where Rooney would start. If the temperament within the squad could stand it I'd add a fifth forward but I doubt very much it could do. Were it able to Higuain from Real would be a decent candidate but I'd shy away from an already established superstar like Villa if Eto'o is already captured. Van Persie is another I'd consider.

 

Looking back into midfield I'd have a look at Sneijder, Arteta and Modric, certainly sign one and let Scholes go but keep Park and Giggs. Nani to go obviously and I'd say goodbye to Anderson as well. Diminishing returns on both. I'd look to sign someone like Toure from Barcelona but I'd have had scouts out for twelve months looking for the next one, not the current one.

 

Into defence I'd keep Hargreaves but look at using him right back a little as Raphel still looks to need carrying. Wes Brown is a good defensive full back and I'd get O'Shea back rotating in and out of the left as Evra looked shattered at times. O'Shea may not be quite good enough but it's tough to buy a player simply to cover. The goalkeeper situation is tricky, one on the wane and one who may never be there. Thinking long term I'd give Foster a go. Thinking about going ahead of Liverpool I'd probably stick with v/d Saar or look for someone. That's tricky.

 

So: Ronaldo (80m), Tevez (nowt), Campbell (6m), Nani (5m), Anderson (8m), Scholes (nowt) all to go.

In: Benzema (30m), Eto'o (15m), Modric (15m), Sneijder (15m), Tourealike (15m) all in with maybe Van Persie if it can be done and afforded.

 

Squad still seems a little full but it seemed the same way this season and they didn't suffer for it.

 

Also this has gone on a bit. Don't expect everyone to be as ridiculously verbose as this.

[Knox_Harrington]

Man United - Me, DanielS, Zoob

Liverpool - Ostrich Man

Chelsea - Hassony, Sion, New York Red

Arsenal - Fred Milne, Bigal, John Gibo

Everton - StevieH, Smithdown, MuleSkinner

Aston Villa - Jarg Armani, JimmyLibel, Des

Fulham - MarkD, CarraLegend, Rimbeux

Spurs - Sutty, Kvarme Ate My Food, Earl Hafler

West Ham - Swipe, Chilli Palmer, Stanley Leisire

Man City - David Hodgson, Leo No 8, Anny Road

Wigan - Murph, Pipnasty, kop205

Bolton - MFletcher, GWistooshort, McBain

Sunderland - psl, Woodsyla, Rory Fitzgerald

Wolves - Maldini, John am Rhein, Benzo 13

Birmingham - D.Boon, Spike, Cam

Barca - Paul Caruso, Mike, George Lees

Real Madrid - Dark Bailo, Ernest Blenkinsop

Inter - Matty, aka Dus, Negativland

AC - Surf, Macca, Molby

Bayern - Ripley, fyds, Cunny

[JonShar]

I'm f***ing livid.

[Knox_Harrington]

I'm f***ing livid.

Haha!

 

Pick a side. I didn't want to spend my night typing everyone's name in...

[JonShar]

Haha!

 

Pick a side. I didn't want to spend my night typing everyone's name in...

 

Hmmm, I'm doing Bury then.

[stressederic]

Haha!

 

Pick a side. I didn't want to spend my night typing everyone's name in...

 

You're a didactic c***.

 

Stick me down for Arsenal I'll do them on Thursday or Friday.

[Knox_Harrington]

Forgot Mike. Meant to be in Madrid but got deleted by accident.

 

EDIT: No I never, he's ended up in Barca. b******s. f*** this, I'm walking away from the computer.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Knox_Harrington

[anny road]

Man f***ing City

 

t**

[Sion]

It's okay Knox. I'll invest in your idea. My competition for chelsea isn't great so hopefully I'll look well smart...

 

Chelsea are let down by poor wingers and ageing/bottling forwards. Scolari obviously didn't work out but Hiddink had them playing to a standard that would have seen them lift the PL. Obviously it's a lot easier to do this when you're not under pressure as the PL was lost to them. I worry more about Chelsea from a rival point of view than Man Utd for next season. Especially if the rumours of CA having a lot to spend are true. I'd use the reported massive budget to sign Villa and Ribery. Where you looking at a combined cost of around £100m. An upgrade on monobrow wouldn't go amiss either, money permitting.

 

-----------Villa

Ribery - Lampard - J.Cole

---Essien Ballack/Mikel

A.Cole Terry Alex Boswinga

Cech

 

 

would win the PL easy I reckon

 

If they can't afford/convince them two to sign there's still the likes of Silva/Turan/Valencia for the wing and Forlan/Pato/Szeko who would improve them, but probably not as much. Still would make them an even bigger threat.

 

Not a massive fan of CA though, he could take a while to settle in and they can't afford that.

Also think they could suffer in the big games if they lose Drogba. They need to formulate a new way of playing against the big sides that isn't lump it to him and tell him to make a nuisance of himself. They've been playing this way for 5 years now, so this could be a problem. Obviously there's a high chance Drogba will stay, but we could very well not be the same player, what with age catching up on him and his disinterest. The signing of a top class forward could help this greatly, but they've still got to alter the general way they play...and with a lot of old heads, it might not be as easy as you think...look at what happened when they tried to shoehorn Deco in this start of last season.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Sion

[Benzo-13]

Wolves?? I'd pick the bones from Arsenal if anyone wants a swap?

Just didn't watch the Championship last year, more Bundesliga or La Liga when it was on.

[anny road]

Interesting positon we find ourselves in this summer, having already started our business wiith the signing of Gareth Barry and funds seemingly endless.....

 

It looks like Richard Dunne could be off, and with us being linked to Lescott and Toure there is going to be change in central defence...Hart can go as we have Schmeicel as back up

 

The amount of business alreaddy done muddies the water....we are top heavy on strikers, although some have had injury problems, and defensive midfielders.....I think we need a centre half, a decent wide man, and another striker...We should by Ashley Young, Tevez and a top striker such as a Forlan (not sure he would come mind)

 

I would be tempted to cash in on Jo, Vassell & Benjani

 

going out of the clube Dunne, Ben Haim and the likes of Danny Mills, Didi Hamann and Danny Sturridge on the way

 

obviously we can challenge for every player, but we need to be careful to attract ambitious players but not those just looking for a pay check/...our net spend will be heavy

 

Out: Joe Hart (£5m), Ball (free), Dunne (£5m), Hamann (£1m), Jo (£9m), Benjani (£7m), Vassell (£2m), Sturridge (free)

 

In: Lescott (£10m), Young, A (£14m), Tevez (£24m), Forlan (£20m)

[Woodsyla]

Wolves?? I'd pick the bones from Arsenal if anyone wants a swap?

Just didn't watch the Championship last year, more Bundesliga or La Liga when it was on.

I'll take Wolves but I can only offer Sunderland in return. My Dad's family are big fans so I know more about them than the just the obvious (i.e. they are going straight back down !!!).

[Benzo-13]

I'll take Wolves but I can only offer Sunderland in return. My Dad's family are big fans so I know more about them than the just the obvious (i.e. they are going straight back down !!!).

 

Nice one. That'll do. Cheers.

Just didn't see them play at all last season apart from highlights.

[Woodsyla]

Nice one. That'll do. Cheers.

Just didn't see them play at all last season apart from highlights.

No probs, I've got one I can properly get my teeth into tomorrow now.

[Walrus]

Aggermania could do Liverpool?

[Gomez]

I'll do Man U:

 

Out: All of them.

 

In: No one.

 

Old Trafford, sold to Lidl

 

Ferguson: Sheltered accommodation.

 

Me: Quids in.

 

Jobs a goodun'

[Benzo-13]

Sunderland. Which means I have a big fat head and must use it to think more.

 

Anyway.

Well lets start from the back.

Goalkeepers

Well ok. Fulop did well when deputising for Gordon.

Gordon did well but needs more trust in his defence and shouldn't be left exposed as frequent as last season.

Which brings me on to...

 

Defenders

To keep compeitive and stable for another year it maybe necessary to dispose of a few servants to freshen things up as after a season of turmoil so new heads are needed.

Bardsley, Noseworthy, Anderson and McShane can leave.

I'd be looking at Naughton, Onuoha and a new left back - maybe an ambitous loan for Drenthe or sign Heinze on a free for experience.

 

Midfield.

It needs more mobility and shape. Tainio, Richardson and Malbranque have the requisite technique but Reid and Edwards maybe do not have the pace or standard to meet the demands of a season. Leadbitter and Whitehead have the heart and leadership for the battle ahead.

Here I'd bring in Scott Brown and Jerome Rothen/Stephen Hunt to again bring balance and shape as the team will line up 4-4-2 with Jones as the point man.

 

Forwards

Jones needs more goals or needs more openings to enable goals.

Chopra hasn't been a success at all here and needs a change so can leave.

Stokes has flopped and can go to Hibernian.

Murphy's a solid option and deputy for Jones/while O'Donovan needs more experience so can go on loan.

Here I'd bring in Doyle from Reading to back up Jones' physicality but also to forage for openings around him also maybe a move for Martins from our North Eastern neighbours as another option from the bench and to cover loss of form.

 

Team will be 4-4-2 with the ability to compact.

 

------------------------------Gordon---------------------------

Naughton-----------Ferdinand-------Onuoha---------Heinze

Malbranque------Brown---------Whitehead-----------Hunt/Rothen

-----------------------Jones-----------Doyle-------------------

 

Subs: Fulop, Collins, McCartney, Leadbitter, Tainio, Richardson, Martins.

 

PS: A Good bottle of Charbernet Sauvignon for when we visit OT.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Benzo-13

[Hassony]

It's okay Knox. I'll invest in your idea. My competition for chelsea isn't great so hopefully I'll look well smart...

 

[smithdown]

Everton? Nice one. Dead easy.

 

Riding on the back of the gallantly willing but gallingly impotent FA Cup defeat buys plenty of time. A good way to spend this time would be to openly court the idea of bringing Owen to Goodison, making several comments to the press about considering him, then backing out saying he's too injury prone to join the forward line already assembled while everyone knows it's really about the wages.

 

So we start the preseason tour of North Wales thusly:

 

Howard

 

Hibbert Jagielka Lescott Baines

Pienaar Fellooni Nevo Cahill Arteta

Saha

 

When two of them are injured away to Rhyl I approach Man Utd for Scholes and Giggs, but don't get them, obviously. Osman gets back in, somewhere or other, when it's realised he hasn't been sold to Reading or Wolves even though there was a rumour in one of the papers but nothing seemed to come of it. Yakubu is still walking on the treadmill instead of preseason training, trying to get below 17st, btw. The obvious thing to do is go back and try to buy Jo, but that won't work. He's changed his number. A bid to re-sign Johnson fails. A bid to loan Voronin also, but that gets denied when the echo reports it. A bid for Macheda doesn't get off the ground either. We go back to the old school: a new black striker is top priority, and the right back who came on for Hibbert at Wembley goes back to Denmark or wherever to get his head together so that needs sorting too. Both signings will come from Belgium in the final week of the window after being seen doing okay for some club in a 0-0 at home to Rangers.

 

The Europa league is going to be a killer. Early excitement - a string of five successive wins will have everyone going bananas - will dissipate when it's realised there are still months and months to go, and both league and european form will suffer in the late autumn months.

 

Yakubu gets fitter and replaces the injured Saha and the new injured forward to bring everyone a boost. The new right back is found to have off-field problems, which nobody wants to talk about or see pictures of, so Hibbert is back in. Anichibe and Vaughan leave for no good reason other than they are injured, brought back too early, injured again and then forgotten about.

 

Most importantly, Peter from Kelly's lad will get first team action. Can't remember his name but he's supposed to be good.

 

In summary, no real noticeable changes, a few more youngsters are bedded in a bit more for worthy but mediocre careers in the game, and we get by without any major dramas or decent games to speak of, and I earn my deserved praise and my name gets bandied about for manager of the year for not very much but a top half finish. So long as Liverpool don't win the league and/or European Cup it's happydaysicus round here.

 

COME ON YOU BOOOOS

[Sion]

Everton? Nice one. Dead easy.

 

Riding on the back of the gallantly willing but gallingly impotent FA Cup defeat buys plenty of time. A good way to spend this time would be to openly court the idea of bringing Owen to Goodison, making several comments to the press about considering him, then backing out saying he's too injury prone to join the forward line already assembled while everyone knows it's really about the wages.

 

So we start the preseason tour of North Wales thusly:

 

Howard

 

Hibbert Jagielka Lescott Baines

Pienaar Fellooni Nevo Cahill Arteta

Saha

 

When two of them are injured away to Rhyl I approach Man Utd for Scholes and Giggs, but don't get them, obviously. Osman gets back in, somewhere or other, when it's realised he hasn't been sold to Reading or Wolves even though there was a rumour in one of the papers but nothing seemed to come of it. Yakubu is still walking on the treadmill instead of preseason training, trying to get below 17st, btw. The obvious thing to do is go back and try to buy Jo, but that won't work. He's changed his number. A bid to re-sign Johnson fails. A bid to loan Voronin also, but that gets denied when the echo reports it. A bid for Macheda doesn't get off the ground either. We go back to the old school: a new black striker is top priority, and the right back who came on for Hibbert at Wembley goes back to Denmark or wherever to get his head together so that needs sorting too. Both signings will come from Belgium in the final week of the window after being seen doing okay for some club in a 0-0 at home to Rangers.

 

The Europa league is going to be a killer. Early excitement - a string of five successive wins will have everyone going bananas - will dissipate when it's realised there are still months and months to go, and both league and european form will suffer in the late autumn months.

 

Yakubu gets fitter and replaces the injured Saha and the new injured forward to bring everyone a boost. The new right back is found to have off-field problems, which nobody wants to talk about or see pictures of, so Hibbert is back in. Anichibe and Vaughan leave for no good reason other than they are injured, brought back too early, injured again and then forgotten about.

 

Most importantly, Peter from Kelly's lad will get first team action. Can't remember his name but he's supposed to be good.

 

In summary, no real noticeable changes, a few more youngsters are bedded in a bit more for worthy but mediocre careers in the game, and we get by without any major dramas or decent games to speak of, and I earn my deserved praise and my name gets bandied about for manager of the year for not very much but a top half finish. So long as Liverpool don't win the league and/or European Cup it's happydaysicus round here.

 

COME ON YOU BOOOOS

 

That's bloody brilliant

[Knox_Harrington]

Everton? Nice one. Dead easy.

 

Riding on the back of the gallantly willing but gallingly impotent FA Cup defeat buys plenty of time. A good way to spend this time would be to openly court the idea of bringing Owen to Goodison, making several comments to the press about considering him, then backing out saying he's too injury prone to join the forward line already assembled while everyone knows it's really about the wages.

 

So we start the preseason tour of North Wales thusly:

 

Howard

 

Hibbert Jagielka Lescott Baines

Pienaar Fellooni Nevo Cahill Arteta

Saha

 

When two of them are injured away to Rhyl I approach Man Utd for Scholes and Giggs, but don't get them, obviously. Osman gets back in, somewhere or other, when it's realised he hasn't been sold to Reading or Wolves even though there was a rumour in one of the papers but nothing seemed to come of it. Yakubu is still walking on the treadmill instead of preseason training, trying to get below 17st, btw. The obvious thing to do is go back and try to buy Jo, but that won't work. He's changed his number. A bid to re-sign Johnson fails. A bid to loan Voronin also, but that gets denied when the echo reports it. A bid for Macheda doesn't get off the ground either. We go back to the old school: a new black striker is top priority, and the right back who came on for Hibbert at Wembley goes back to Denmark or wherever to get his head together so that needs sorting too. Both signings will come from Belgium in the final week of the window after being seen doing okay for some club in a 0-0 at home to Rangers.

 

The Europa league is going to be a killer. Early excitement - a string of five successive wins will have everyone going bananas - will dissipate when it's realised there are still months and months to go, and both league and european form will suffer in the late autumn months.

 

Yakubu gets fitter and replaces the injured Saha and the new injured forward to bring everyone a boost. The new right back is found to have off-field problems, which nobody wants to talk about or see pictures of, so Hibbert is back in. Anichibe and Vaughan leave for no good reason other than they are injured, brought back too early, injured again and then forgotten about.

 

Most importantly, Peter from Kelly's lad will get first team action. Can't remember his name but he's supposed to be good.

 

In summary, no real noticeable changes, a few more youngsters are bedded in a bit more for worthy but mediocre careers in the game, and we get by without any major dramas or decent games to speak of, and I earn my deserved praise and my name gets bandied about for manager of the year for not very much but a top half finish. So long as Liverpool don't win the league and/or European Cup it's happydaysicus round here.

 

COME ON YOU BOOOOS

[Stevie H]

tough to improve on smithdown's effort really but if i were in moyes' hush puppies this summer i'd be looking to improve massively at right-back, would see about converting that lumbering f*ck fellaini into the s***-hot defensive midfielder he is supposed to be and looking to change formation to 4-2-3-1 to a) get the most out of the players in the squad and b) counter better sides more effectively while over-running lesser sides in midfield.

 

get after someone like micah richards for right-back, and look at a better right sided attacker than osman. adam johnson from boro or even tuncay perhaps. one of them two alongside cahill and arteta behind yakubu backed up by two specialist defensive mids would improve them markedly and would allow more space on the flanks for richards and baines to get forward.

 

signings: richards, johnson/tuncay, sign jo permanently as understudy to yakubu and if fellaini's a write-off then get a sh*tkicking defensive mid in. in fact, a cheeky loan bid for madrid's mahamadou diarra and get kevin nolan off newcastle too.

 

out: saha can go and ship dead wood like hibbert, jacobsen and van der meyde (assume he's still there).

Edited June 17, 2009 by Stevie H

[John am Rhein]

Wolves - Maldini, John am Rhein, Benzo 13

 

I like Wolves

 

Don't know enough about their current side's strengths and weaknesses to really comment usefully on what they should do in the transfer market, but like most promoted sides I'd say they probably need to boost the amount of Premier League experience they have, ideally in the central midfield and central defensive positions.

 

I'd also plan to spend some money in January - possibly on one or two foreign players - in the way that Sam Allardyce seemed to do for Bolton several times.

[Bailo]

OK - Real eh?

 

Given the majority of the business is done (or appears to be), I'd go something like this:

 

Goalkeeper

 

Nothing really to be said, picks himself and never seems to be injured. Dudek can fill the reserve role adequately.

 

Defence

 

The Achilles Heel and needs serious work. I'd let Spurs have a roll at Heinze and try and flog a poor Pepe to anyone who will have the giant c***. I have an eye on Ramos moving into the centre as he grows up and begins to open his f***ing eyes. The pursuit of Arbeloa is halted, and attention switches to Rafael of United...once a spot of paper-based unsettling has finished, he demands a transfer and a deal is done for £12m. With Cannavaro gone, a stopper needs purchasing, so I bring in Hangelaand from Fulham for £10m to partner Ramos. Left-back is tricky, Heinze gone and nothing coming from the youth teams for a few years. So I spend the last of my budget by raiding Sevilla for Joan Capdevila, who has always impressed me playing for Spain, paying £10m, and instruct the scouts to find me a Rafael for the left, who isn't his brother, as the Mancs have now stopped dealing with me (apparantly, they won't sell me a virus).

 

Midfield

 

To underpin some of the summers spending, Robben and Mahamadou Diarra are allowed to leave, Spurs pick up both, with Heinze, in a £37m deal. Sniejder stays, alongside Lassana Diarra and the ever-present-but-seemingly-useless-Guti. Gago is given another year to take Lassana's place. Sneijder is forced to watch Xabi Alonso videos Clockwork Orange style. Whether they should be here, or in the upfront category, I don't care, but obviously Ronaldo is given the right wing berth, but told to start tracking back or else. I take a leaf out of the manager who made a fool of my club last year, and drop Kaka in the Stevie role. Robben is allowed to leave to Liverpool for £15m, meaning I get handed this money to make one final signing, which is Lucas Podolski, who snubs his pre-agreed move to Koln when £15m is waved in front of their faces. He's told to watch videos of Dirk Kuyt, but replicate that on the left.

 

Forward

 

RvN is allowed to claim his place back, with Negredo, and mainly Higuain gunning for him from the sidelines. My pursuit of Villa is halted, mainly as Liverpool have stolen a march on me by getting Fernando Torres to whisper sweet nothings into his ear during the Confederations Cup. Huntelaar is allowed to leave on loan to the Mancs for a year as part of the Rafael deal, with a promise he's to come back and replace RvN at the end of the season as my no.1 striker. This is a lie, and he will be sold next year after scoring 12 goals in the PL.

 

Starting XI:

 

---------------Casillas ©------------------------

 

Rafael-----Ramos----Hangelaand----Capdevila

 

-------------Sneijder-------Diarra-----------------

 

Ronaldo---------------------------------Podolski

 

----------------Kaka------------------------------

 

-----------------------RvN/Higuain---------------

 

Extra Ins - Rafael (United), £12m; Capdevila (Sevilla), £10m; Hangelaand (Fulham), £10m; Podolski, £15m

 

Extra Outs- Heinze, Robben, M. Diarra (Tottenham), £37m; Huntelaar (United); season-long loan; Pepe (Chelsea), £10m

Edited June 17, 2009 by DarkBailo

[D.Boon]

Birmingham!?