*Official* English Football Season 2007-08

[roseboy64]

tbf none of the bolded players are established first team regulars or good enough to play regularly, whereas the chelsea players with the exeption of sinclair and hilario are. Though I would argue that Man Utd have the better team when all are fit, Chelsea clearly have more depth to the squad, particulary in defence and up front.

I'll give you Eagles, Dong and Heaton. Only in there as they're in the first team squad on the Man Utd site.

 

[roseboy64]

Yeah, I'm a massive Simpson fan myself, been raving about him since I saw him in the preseason games.

I would also argue that Piqué, having spent a highly successful stint at Zaragoza in La Liga to the point that they were wanting to purchase, is a quality player. Fletcher, likewise, is slagged off far more than he deserves. He's not a first team regular by any means, but anyone who watched the matches against Lyon and Arsenal respectively will point out that Fletcher did a far, far better job than Hargreaves in a DM role - and he gave us more options in attack, too. I rate him on par with Obi "Red Card" Mikel, at the least.

Heaton, Evans, Eagles and Dong certainly don't belong in there yet, though. Heaton has never been given a competitive game yet to my knowledge, Evans hasn't played a competitive game for United either, Eagles, while good, still has to prove himself in the long run and Dong isn't even worth mentioning. Welbeck seems more likely to get a game than our Chinese shirt-seller.

Hope you don't believe he was bought just to sell shirts.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Hope you don't believe he was bought just to sell shirts.

Hope you don't believe that merchandising had nothing to do with it, either.

 

[grecian]

It may be a nothing-comp, but great performance from Bolton over the two legs.

 

[roseboy64]

Hope you don't believe that merchandising had nothing to do with it, either.

Very small part IMO. Saw a very good post on a Man Utd forum recently with someone givinmg very good points that justify my thoughts. Basically, if merchandising was a big part, a bigger and better player would have been bought. Plus, in China lots of the shirts are fakes or not the official ones. Don't see how he'd make that big a difference. Was bought because he looked promising and because of his physical attributes.He spent like 3 years in Antwerp too when another player could have been bought that would have had a better chance of getting a work permit. Him improving merchandise sales would have been a thought but only as a bonus IMO.

 

[Agent TBY]

Johnson scored two screamers.

Whatever happened to the tap-in and penalty specialist?

 

[Tom Halsey]

Very small part IMO.

Then why else was he bought, given he's rubbish? The rest of the post isn't supported by the fact that he is selling shirts, lots of them.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Everton 6 Brann 1.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Brann were probably no better than a League One side. Shocking. Couldn't string more than three passes together. How they got through the group stage I don't know.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Brann were probably no better than a League One side. Shocking. Couldn't string more than three passes together. How they got through the group stage I don't know.

Tbf, they haven't played competitive football for two months.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Tbf, they haven't played competitive football for two months.

Two months or not, they should be able to keep the ball better than that.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Tbf, they haven't played competitive football for two months.

I'm sure there's a joke in there about the standard of the Norwegian league, but that would be too cruel.

Was surprised Brann were champions tho, I just assumed Rosenborg had a lock on it.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'm sure there's a joke in there about the standard of the Norwegian league, but that would be too cruel.

Was surprised Brann were champions tho, I just assumed Rosenborg had a lock on it.

Lost their coach a couple of years ago and have been fumbling around since.

But yeah. We aren't that good. Population 4.5 million and half of them wanting to be professional skiers might have something to do with it.

 

[BoyBrumby]

But yeah. We aren't that good. Population 4.5 million and half of them wanting to be professional skiers might have something to do with it.

Meh. You were good enough for us relatively recently. You've also beaten Brazil at the world cup, which we haven't ever.

 

[Matteh]

Johnson scored two screamers.

Whatever happened to the tap-in and penalty specialist?

Most of the goals were quality and Brann couldn't do much. Yakubu's hattrick goal being the only exception really.

 

[roseboy64]

Then why else was he bought, given he's rubbish? The rest of the post isn't supported by the fact that he is selling shirts, lots of them.

I did say he was promising when Utd bought him. Also AFAIK he took a while to adapt to Belgium but after that he was scoring lots of goals.He'll probably get till next season to come good or he'll be sold. Surely he'd play more to boost his profile if it was just shirts?

 

[sledger]

Very small part IMO. Saw a very good post on a Man Utd forum recently with someone givinmg very good points that justify my thoughts. Basically, if merchandising was a big part, a bigger and better player would have been bought. Plus, in China lots of the shirts are fakes or not the official ones. Don't see how he'd make that big a difference. Was bought because he looked promising and because of his physical attributes.He spent like 3 years in Antwerp too when another player could have been bought that would have had a better chance of getting a work permit. Him improving merchandise sales would have been a thought but only as a bonus IMO.

frankly xavier, thats all irrelevant, he was bought primarily to make money, the fact that he was the winner of the "man utd search for a chinese star" just backs up that argument, generally players from asia that are bought by big clubs are there simply to make money, and you'd be naieve to think otherwise.

 

[Loony BoB]

I did say he was promising when Utd bought him. Also AFAIK he took a while to adapt to Belgium but after that he was scoring lots of goals.He'll probably get till next season to come good or he'll be sold. Surely he'd play more to boost his profile if it was just shirts?

He does play - in the nothing games.

He's admittedly improved since he started for the United Reserves (something like 0 goals in his first six months and then he's had a fair few since) but he's never, ever going to be good enough. The fact that we play him in nothing games says it all, though. SAF wouldn't play someone who is going nowhere in a nothing game if it wasn't a case of exhibition for the masses of fans overseas. He'll sell shirts purely because he's young, is in the Chinese national team (hence famous regardless of how often he plays for United) and plays for United (which is massive in Asia). Shirt sales were easy.

I'm sure they had some hope that he'd be a good player someday but everyone who knows how to throw away bias and delusion knows full well that he was a cashcow from the start.

 

[grecian]

Wes Brown wants 50 grand a week from Manure, ffs

He's effectively their second choice Right-back, he's played a lot of games this season, but thats only because that **** Nevilles been injured.

Mercenaries not limited to the foreign contingent, apparently, in the obscenely rich Premiership

 

[roseboy64]

frankly xavier, thats all irrelevant, he was bought primarily to make money, the fact that he was the winner of the "man utd search for a chinese star" just backs up that argument, generally players from asia that are bought by big clubs are there simply to make money, and you'd be naieve to think otherwise.

He does play - in the nothing games.

He's admittedly improved since he started for the United Reserves (something like 0 goals in his first six months and then he's had a fair few since) but he's never, ever going to be good enough. The fact that we play him in nothing games says it all, though. SAF wouldn't play someone who is going nowhere in a nothing game if it wasn't a case of exhibition for the masses of fans overseas. He'll sell shirts purely because he's young, is in the Chinese national team (hence famous regardless of how often he plays for United) and plays for United (which is massive in Asia). Shirt sales were easy.

I'm sure they had some hope that he'd be a good player someday but everyone who knows how to throw away bias and delusion knows full well that he was a cashcow from the start.

These are the words of the guy who I agree with:

I tell you what is, in your words, ignorant: Not knowing that United don't make any money from shirt sales. Nike own the global rights and profit from United shirt sales. It doesnt matter how many United shirts are sold in Asia, United don't see any profit from it. If your next argument is that Park and Dong (how did this get onto Dong btw?) was Nikes brainchild and they financed it and told Alex to buy these players so they could make money then why would we go along with that? and then think how many shirt they would need to sell to recover £8 million in transfer fees, £1 million extra in agent fees and, in the case of Dong, 3 years wages while he was in Belgium. The answer will be about 2 million shirts just to break even in the Asian market flooded with knock-offs where 90% of all replica shirt sales are fake. Thats more knock-offs than Dell-Boy Trotters 3 wheeled van can carry in month of Sundays.

So, think about that and tell us how you know we buy players to make (a little) money for Nike.

In reply to this:
Is SAF in charge of the whole club? Do you think he mind having Dong making him money he can then use in transfer market, while he's doesnt have to play Dong who could messed up our results.Dong is simply a marketing tool. you can beleive whatever you want, but if you think Dong isnt here to sell shirt then you're the ignorant one.

Another:
Who is this everyone? I believe that he was signed as a "punt" a chance to see what he could do as he came with a blossoming reputation as a teenager. He could have developed into something special (or not). That is the chance you take with teenagers. We have had loads of teenagers that have left the club without breaking into the first team and it is only as this lad is Chinese that he gets associated with shirt sales. That is insulting.

So, yes, I believe he was signed for football reasons but of course the chance to lift United's profile in China would have been a bonus. But that is the complete opposite to your view that we signed someone to sell shirts and the fact he could kick a ball was a bonus. If we wanted to sell shirts we would not have spent £3.5 million on a relative unknown and a teenager that would have to spend 3 years in the wilderness before wearing the United shirt. We would have bought a established player who already had enough caps to get a work permit.

I also believe Alex has lost faith in him but as the lad spent 3 years in Belgium, he doesn't want to just slam the door on his face now. Loyalty that he showed for 3 years in waiting for his chance, which probably hurt his development at the same time, is being repaid by the club giving him his year (or two) in England. If the lad had come from Denmark and been in the Manchester acadaemy for those 3 years he would be back home now, but not because he was Danish.

I find it quiet insulting to hear a supporter of the club state unequivocally that Sir Alex is a puppet after 20 years in the managers chair and would entertain the idea of putting his reputation and his personal drive for success on the line for a marketing toy.

That's what I honestly believe.

Replying to this:
Condor let's be honest, do you really think Dong is here for footballing reasons? Everybody know he's not, i never even thought people would debate this.