16 Jul 2014 12:52:53
Right time for a bit of realism here. The chances of us breaking top 4 next season are close on to zero guys. It's blatantly obvious we don't have much of a war chest this summer and we are waiting to see if we're going to blow most of it on Lukaku before we move on. Before anyone starts with the patience etc it's 4 weeks before first day of the season we're back for pre season and most around us are already strengthening big time. Ok Spuds aren't but they have a new manager so will be a bit different but Arsenal have bought some really good world class players, city and chelsea are on a different planet to us anyway so we could always forget about catching them, Liverpool are spending money and will spend close onto 100 million on their team, ok they lost Suarez but will definitely be much stronger ad United won't have a season like last year and will bring in some big big names shortly. All this highlights just how far behind we are in all of this . Don't get me wrong here I 'm not slagging the club off or Martinez etc but I think we all need to have a big reality check and realise we are going to struggle for a top 6 finish this season never mind a top 4. Sorry if this puts a dampner on things but I just felt compelled to post something level headed and realistic about the coming season. It's blatantly obvious the way Martinez keeps going back to the youth that they are going to be the main staple of squad fillers we need , Barry was a signing and it looks like we may have enough for a 20 million signing in Lukaku snd maybe a another (besic) and that's probably it. We're hardly linked with anyone, even in the rags so I think we all need to reign in the expectations because there won't be four or five big money signings coming in that's for sure

{Ed025's Note - i dont think anyone though it was going to be easy pb2, top 4 is a massive ask, its hard to second guess what bobby is doing regarding transfers, but one thing is for sure, he will be doing his upmost to ensure we can challenge the so-called big boys..

1.) 16 Jul 2014
I'm really sick of the knee jerk reactions. We've sorted out Barry are close on a couple more signings and there's 4 weeks left. I'm absolutely sure Martinez knows who he wants and will get them. Your post even says Manchester United will bring in a couple shortly so why is it ok for them to do that and we have to rush into things. I don't care if it goes down to the wire and we are playing hard ball to get the best price for the players we want at least we won't be paying the ridiculous prices being bandied about recently. We are in Europe for the first time in years and we have the opportunity to bring through a group of young players who could mature into a great team of the future. If Roberto thinks they are good enough that's enough for me so stop all this defeatist talk before a ball has even been kicked in anger.

{Ed025's Note - fair play to you popeye..

2.) 16 Jul 2014
I know most don't Ed but you can feel the air of expectation turning into almost desperation on the board mate, our fans our desperate for signings that desperate anyone would do. There was a thought that we had fortunes to spend but it's blatantly obvious we don't and the teams around us are spending it big and buying very good players. Even if we signed Lukaku today our squad is still weaker than last year and youth won't cut it if we're to improve on last season. I just wonder where all the money goes tbh mate

{Ed025's Note - we still have a very healthy kitty pb2, bobby did say there would not be much activity till after the WC mate, as popeye said..we need to chill a bit, ok, so we seem to be inactive at the moment, but im sure that behind the scenes there are irons in fires, so lets not take it out of perspective...we will improve on last years squad..

3.) 16 Jul 2014
@popeye, incase it's escaped your attention United have already spent nearly 50 million and if you read my post properly I wasn't knocking anyone at the club I was pointing out that we cannot compete with the 4 teams above us and Man U financially and that is already being highlighted in the early spending. These clubs are getting their targets in early getting them bedded in and settled weeks before the season starts is that not a sensible thing to do? We are quite obviously hanging on the Lukaku deal as it looks like it's the majority of our transfer kitty , if it goes through we won't get much else in, if not probably 3 or 4 players totalling 25 mil or so. Those clubs around us are paying that (double in some instances) and we're as per usual sitting on our hands. This comment of Martinez about world cup year . Lallana, Lambert, Costa (shall I go on) have all been the world cup as have numerous players but are all signed sealed and delivered to their new clubs so this "oh its a world cup year" is rubbish , if we wanted a player he was available we offered the right money and personal terms he would sign its as simple as that. Sest Ham to name one have got their targets in early and good on them, they'll have a good month of playing/training together and gelling for the new season. Anyone with the "there's no panic yet" attitude needs to wake up. We're not making the signings because we're wrangling the deals because there is hardly any money even a fool can see that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I for one am quite alarmed at our blatant lack of killer instinct in the transfer market. Maybe dithering davey got a name like that unfairly but something isn't right and the silence from the club is absolutely deadening which in my humble opinion speaks volumes

4.) 16 Jul 2014
16 Jul 2014 14:43:24
Chelsea and city are miles infront, liverpool will not be stronger, they are bulking up the squad with 20m signings, none of whom are fit to lace suarezs boots, they will fight for top four not title, arsenal spent 32m on another injury prone world beater in the hope it will take eyes off their striker situation, sanchez is good yes but falls into the same catagory as ozil, bought to look good, he will spend more time drinking pale ale with a gaviscon chaser in the treatment room with diaby and jack wheelchair than on the pitch, who else? Debuchy? Think he's okay and ospina was dodgy as hell at the world cup, for me, whichever 2 out of city, liverpool, utd, chelsea, spurs and arsenal don't finish in the top four will have their managers sacked, chelsea and city are ahead anyway, so far I have not been impressed with any of the other big boys' transfers, I believe with a good striker, we have a very underrated team that is imo better atm than spurs and utd and I believe we can creep in there, keep your head up mate we will give it our all

5.) 16 Jul 2014
16 Jul 2014 15:34:16
How much you're rumoured to be doing in the papers means nothing, they know nothing. Remember how many times Baines joined United last summer?

6.) 16 Jul 2014
You are so negative@Pb2 first off we've never been able to compete financially with the so called big teams, but it's never stopped as competing where it matters the most out on the field because at the end of the day its 11 v 11 plus subs, so I don't care what team is spending what, and another thing this buying early theory you talk about is a load of bullshi* it didn't do Norwich or Sunderland any good last year did it?

so please stop being a negative clown and get behind the club and Roberto

7.) 16 Jul 2014
Swan mate, if Sanchez had of signed for us fhis board would be in melt down, you can add Khedeira (sp) to Arsenals list very shortly too . Liverpool won't be able to replace Suarez with a single player but they will replace him by bulking the squad out so the swuad will be full of very good players with hardly any average ones and will become a stronger unit a bit like Germany, no superstars but a very good team collectively who will be decent all over the pitch right down to sub 7 United won't blow everyone away this season but they will be a LOT better than last and will bring in more quality to add to what they already have and as for Spurs. I have no idea they could go one way or another. In reality, Swan to get a perspective in the difference of squads. Liverpool, Arsenal, united loan players out to other premier league teams, serie a teams, la liga teams, all premier division top flight teams, we loan ours to Yeovill, Oldham and the likes . That is how big the gulf is and it's getting and bigger as the years go on. The bare bones of it is there is no big transfer kitty for us and we will fall further behind. This year more than ever is highlighting it imo

8.) 16 Jul 2014
@ mike, yer of course it doesn't matter. let's wait until deadline day and play a months worth of games without some of our targets. Sometimes I despair I really do. And you have the balls to call me a clown. Using Norwich who were always going to flirt with relegation and Sunderland who the mad Italian had dissected and sewn back together with a rusty needle and cat gut is almost laughable. Teams at the top end try and do their business nice and early not scrabble around on deadline day . Fact!

9.) 16 Jul 2014
16 Jul 2014 17:56:28
First of all i'd be moaning why we paid 32m for him and khedira, after sergio busquets, is the most overrated holding midfielder I have ever seen, 40m plus 250k a week for a clumsy 6 foot 4 anonymous player who doesn't actually do anything, no tar, spurs did what you said liverpool are doing, worked well didn't it?, I've gone through lallana, lambert and can, 40m combined then 20m for benficas fourth choice winger, 60m, any of them world class?, if we had 100m to spend would you be happy for us to spend 60m on them four? Course not, liverpool will finish 3rd at best and 2 of chelsea, spurs, liverpool, utd, city and arsenal will be managerless come the end of the season, don't worry

10.) 16 Jul 2014
Teams at top can afford to spend big and early others can't we have spent next to nothing over last ten years but have always challenged high up the table money helps but it ain't everything you have no idea how much we have to spend or who we are going to spend it on three of our best players last season were brought in on the last day of transfer window and all fit straight into team from day one we have four weeks to go I believe under Martinez our team will be better and stronger this season no matter how many we sign bring on the kids from our academy great to see just look at Barkley Martinez is the right man to get the best from these kids and to take our club forward I can only see exciting times ahead roll on the new season

{Ed025's Note - love it cobyone mate...may the force be with you.. :)

11.) 16 Jul 2014
Lol, let's see what's what come the end of the season wh, son ;)

12.) 16 Jul 2014
The difference is swan they can spend 32mil on a player to bulk there squad we will be lucky to spend that on the squad in total this year, let's hope we can sell Barkley at the last minute 2 city and get three players in we desperately need it makes sense