Redcanuck

So if Trippier, Rose and Alderweireld are sold as rumoured, who ends up starting in Spurs defence? Sanchez, Vertonghen, Aurier and Walker-Peters?

Pulisic is still at the Gold Cup, I know it ends tonight, but won't he want close to a month off? Will not give him much training time with Chelsea. While we are on the question of Pulisic, how much of the loss of the offense that Hazard created will he pick up? (Thinking of my fantasy team).

Stories now that the American owned clubs in the Premier have asked the Premier League to join Uefa's financial investigation into City. I read in the Mail that Palace was one of the teams pushing for the investigation. Their owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer – who own the New Jersey Devils in the NHL and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA – invested in English football on the understanding that it would be as heavily regulated as the major sports in the US. Where would Palace owners get the idea that English football was going to be as heavily regulated as US sports?

Don't think anybody is surprised by the accusations, the opinion of other team's supportors has always been that City "cooked the books" when it came to its sponsorship deals. That much of their sponsorships were disguised to hide direct investment from Shiekh Mansour.

Everything is denied til it happens. There is something going on, even if it is only major sponsorship or buying a percentage of the club.

That's true, but they haven't spent it wisely and more important there are hundreds of millions that have gone to the Glazers instead of back into the club.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/8441062/saudi-prince-mohammad-bin-salman-manchester-united-takeover/ This story seems to be making the rounds again, was first rumoured back in the fall, but the death of Khashoggi seemed to kill it for awhile. Don't really want the Saudis owning the club, I have also felt Nations should not be allowed to own clubs. If this goes through than United will be no different than PSG or City. Have to admit though it would be nice to see United spending the money they make on improving the product on the field, rather than filling the pockets of their owners.

He's too expensive and wants too much money. Plus his lack of pace is a problem. Think we have more urgent needs at the moment.

Perhaps by default. You only have to beat out Arsenal.

Great second half comeback, but what does it prove. It shows the players can play great football when they want to. But who did they do it for, the club, Mourinho or themselves. Too little to late I think.

https://youtu.be/CtGxusvUT3k Back in the day On Monday Night Football (NFL), when the outcome was no longer in doubt Dandy Don Meredith used to sing this song. Appropo for Mourinho?

Not too many top managers hanging about , might have to poach somebody. Pochettino or Simeone maybe, but may have to go with a caretaker manager for a while if we are to belive the report in the Mirror that he will be sacked after tomorrow's game regardless of the result.

Mourinho always has an agenda in what he says and does. I have wondered a couple of times with his line up selections and the formations he has chosen if he was sendimg a message to Woodward. I dont think he wants to get fired because who else in football will hire him other than the Portuguese National team, but he can't deal with not getting his own way. Scholes has always been more independent that Neville or Giggs . Hard to tell if Neville and Giggs believe what they say or if they are just repeating what United officially say. Churchill could have been talking about Pogba when he said a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I cant figure him out, if you could get him playing at his full potential on a consistent basis, you would really have something special. Not sure how this one turns out, if United get a new manager and Pogba is still not happy, then what?

Maybe? They certain play like a team whose manager has lost the dressing room. It also looks like the rifts between Mourinho and certain players and Mourinho and the Board is unrepairable.

Should he have been what Ali is now? I saw Morrison play a couple times and saw some extended highlights while he was a teenager, but not really enough to judge him. I can only say what people who watched him day in and day out thought. People who saw Morrison play as teenager on a regular basis, would say that he should be much better than what Ali is now. In terms of pure talent he was probably the best prospect United had since Best, better than Scholes and Giggs. He outshone everyone he played with and against when he was under 18, he glided by everyone, could score with either foot and was real game changer. Everyone knows his story, so there is no need to repeat it here, but the truth is if he was not so talented he would have been out football by the time he was 16. He lacked the maturity, the self discipline, and the common sense to realise that he could have the world at his feet if he made the necessary sacrifices.

There is a feeling he has been let down this transfer window, not in the past. Hence the talk from the likes of Neville about 3/4 of the build. I believe Utd's net spend under Mourinho is around £300m, but that should have been put to better use.

I don't think that would have stopped him from getting fired if the Board had already made their mind . Not really sure how full the staduim was at the time, but the South Stand that was applauding Mourinho looked pretty full.

Woodward is very good at business end of the club, he has trippled the sponsorship for example. He is the Glazer's man, he makes them an incredible amount of money. It was Woodward who put together the leverage buy out of the club, there's no chance he will be let go. He maybe left to concentrate strictly on financial matters if they hire a Director of Football. There was talk of hiring a Director of Football, somebody to handle all the football matters outside of the on the field responsibilities of the manager. However, the club seems to have backtracked a bit and the talk now is of hiring a technical director. I imagine not hiring a DOF, would leave dealing with transfers in Woodward's hands and that's been one of the problems. It would also stop most of the top people from applying since they might be interested in being a DOF but not a technical director.

Could be, I imagine Martial who is under contract til 2020 if the club picks up its option, figures he can outlast Mourinho.

I believe so. Mourinho seemed happy enough when the transfer was confirmed, talked about Fred being creative and having great vision regarding his passing ability.

Martial has one more year plus a club option for another year, which they have said they will activate. Just pointing out that on any football related issue, the British press will claim both sides of the fence. So how do you know which one to believe? Might make for good reading I guess and sells papers, but I am old enough to remenber seeing them hanging in the outside loos.

I really dont expect to see either Martial or Pogba leave this month. Like you say it would seriously deplete the squad, plus there are stories today that Martial wants to stay and fight for his spot. As for Pogba, United can't afford to let him leave, he is too important on and off the field.

Thats good to hear.

As you know I said that was wrong at the time, same with the loans of Tevez and Falcao.

I am not a big fan of the current loan system, think it is something that needs to be looked at by FIFA and/or UEFA. There needs to be restrictions on the number of players a team can loan out, who they loan players to and the age of the players involved.