Gill’s exit at the same time as Fergie’s is an undermentioned issue in their collapse for sure, but just like Fergie he oversaw that 3-4 year period of stagnation in which the squad was mismanaged. If you draw the line at the year Ronaldo left their transfer activity from then on is embarrassing.
09-10 (the summer they lost Ronaldo): Valencia, Owen, Obertan, Dioff
10-11: Smalling, Chicarito, Bebe,
11-12: Jones, Young, De Gea, Scholes coming out of retirement
12-13 - Kagawa, RVP,
That means his best side in 12-13 was essentially the same as the won it in 08-09 with maybe just 3 additions. But also included a player who had retired and had to come back to fill the big hole their squad building negligence has caused.
I remember it all very well! Rock of Gibraltar was a smashing horse. It was silly of the owner (Magnier?) to offer such a gift to Ferguson on a whim. No big deal if the nag was average, but it proved to be world class, hence the falling out.
If Ferguson knew the Glazers would be leveraged buy-out specialists, and he invited them in anyway, then that was a poisonous move and just adds to the reasons why I can’t stand the fella.
Whether he knew about the leveraged buyout plans or not, he spent his last several years at united singing their praises and deflecting criticism against them. the cunt.
09-10 - undoubtedly a poor transfer season
10-11 - 2 out of 3 were decent transfers
11-12 - all decent transfers notwithstanding what happened what happened to Jones later in his career.
12-13 - RVP was a very good transfer as he fired them to win the league that year with a failing squad.
True. But it was a signing very much in keeping with the idea that the aim was to get Ferguson his last big trophy, so he could retire on a high. He was 31 years old, and (at the time) expensive.
Their midfield was a shambles, and as noted above, Ferguson had twisted Scholes arm o to coming out of retirement for him.
The point I’m making is that Gill largely delivered in terms of transfers for Fergie , even during the last years of Fergie.
Fergie knew what was coming , didn’t have probably the energy to do the one last rebuild of the team that was needed , left his handpicked successor with a whole lot of deadwood to be cleared and lack of any background structure once he and Gill cleared their desks.
2012 was more about other teams being shit than United being special and the signs were there then itself that United needed a big time refresh.
The drop off from 2012 to Moyes’s side in 2013 was massive though
He did listen to the Disneyworld proposal that Woodward pitched him and said fuck off. Bet he knew that he wouldn’t be given time , probably had his contacts telling him how shite the training facilities etc etc were as well.
Pretty sure the “Forest fan in disguise” thing has been debunked several times now. Goldbridge is what he is - a fan talking bollocks about football online. The main difference is he has a massive audience now because of several viral moments and the fact that he is constantly cranking out content. Sure, it’s performative nonsense that appears to be mostly enjoyed by oppo fans, but how is that bad for Man United?
He moans a lot and talks a lot of shit about the players, the manager, and the ownership, but I feel like that’s reflected in the performance over the last 10+ years, no? I remember Simon Jordan having a go at Don Robbie over AFTV when Arsenal were in the shit for several years, claiming that AFTV were toxic and partially to blame for fan unrest. It’s bollocks.
Problem is, you go on the forum, you look on social media, you see it from the fans at the stadium. Is there any difference in what he is saying to what they are saying?
Re: Goldbridge - have a well run club with a good side on the pitch and it all stops.
I like the guy. I often listen to him more than Liverpool stuff. That’s because we’re a well run club and I’m fascinated by the downfall of great sporting sides. There’s so much drama over there. It’s like slowing down to watch a car pile up.
I think the issue is monetizing anger, which then incentives stoking it and even creating it out of cloth. Whether it meaningfully contributes to issues at the club is up for debate, but I think, at a certain level of visibility, it can definitely add to toxicity at an underperforming one.