Bruno Fernandes

[dozer]

Didn't realise this, but Bruno turns 30 in September. I think if a big offer comes in during the summer, we'd take it.

Because our transfer record is so good right?
You reckon we'd spend the money well on replacements?

What are the odds we'll sign someone who's injury prone or assaults his partner? Or a Mount?
They'd be young though. And don't forget we bought casemiro when he was 30 or 31. And people wanted us to buy Kane who's probably Bruno's age or older.

Our historic recruitment performance has been shambolic, but that's not the point. Not least because we're clearly overhauling our executive team, but improving our approach in the market is as much about selling well, as it is buying well.

That's just a generic piece of advice about dealing with the transfer markets. We can copy paste this in every club's recruitment team's notice board.
Sure, we've shown that we've bought poorly and also sold poorly.

What's the specific issue we have? Regarding selling players, we've kept crap for too long, 10-15 years even. We've lost too much money when we've sold - usually they've left on free transfers and the only times we've recouped some of the costs, is when we've sold quickly and not held on to the crap for too long.
Regarding buying players, Bruno has been our only successful signing post Fergie. My criteria for this is a very low bar: someone who's given us a couple of good seasons.
I guess we can add Maguire and Shaw too, to the list, based on that criteria. That's how bad our transfers has been.
The message to the squad is they can be crap and still be rewarded with top wages and playing for a big name club for a decade.
This also results in player power because they have no incentive to perform.

I'm assuming you agree with me so far.
Explain how selling Bruno is an indication of a good transfer strategy here?
Let's say we get even 100m for him, we've shown with remarkable consistency that we'll spend it on someone like Sancho or Antony.
The message to the squad is the crap stay and the good players or rather just the only good one gets sold.
This is not a random prediction; this is our track record.

People have taken Bruno for granted. He's been our best player every season, including this one.
He creates most of the chances.

[JoelfuckingGlazer]

Where have I said we'd be actively looking to sell him?

I've said if a big offer comes in, we probably would. And we probably should.

You can't predicate our selling decisions on a presumption we'll continue being shite at recruitment under the new structure, otherwise we might as well pack up and go home.

FFP, and our debt, are real and material challenges. An offer of 80-100m for Bruno, if it were to come in, would go a huge way towards providing the room for manoeuvre to rebuild the squad. Which is what's needed.

Honestly, other than Mainoo, Hojlund and Garnacho, I'd be up for selling anyone else if a good offer came in.

[Fuck the Glazers]

Dozer doesn't recognise FFP or debt as real things. He lives in a fantasy world where the money in football is not real money.

I would consider an offer for Fernandes as well. While he's one of our best players, he shines in a mid table team. And I'm not sure he's a systems player that we're gonna need if we switch to playing modern football. He suits a counterattacking team. He's never played better than under Ole.

And cos of the financial mess, selling a top player is probably necessary to raise the funds to strengthen elsewhere. Or even just pay down some of the 1.3bn debt. As the debt grows, the financials may become a priority over the squad.

I don't know if Ratcliffe can use Ineos' money to write some or all of it off? Are we safe now? Fuck now's tbh

[Felwin]

As soon as we get a proper structure in place above Ten Hag, they'll set in motion our transition to an elite side. It'll take time, but that is the stated aim. They will know full well that top teams need to dominate the ball and regardless of what manager is in charge, moves will be made to sign reliable passers and movers for the midfield. Bruno isn't that player. He's an outlier. Would've been banging for a Fergie side but the game has moved on.

If we had Mbappe or Salah or even Saka latching onto his hollywood balls, we could probably play as we do now and do semi alright as they'd take the chances, but that won't be the way that Berrada and Ashworth will look to play. I genuinely believe they'll design a club philosophy (even third league clubs do that in Germany FFS, I once saw a handout for MSV Duisburg through a colleague and it was a 40 page book on how they want their players to play at all levels) and I'm 99% sure it won't revolve around a number 10 trying to be Michael Laudrup but throwing the odd tantrum.

I'd take well less than 100m for Bruno. Funds will need to be raised and he's a big earner. Like Ash says, I'd take money for any of them apart from the core young talents. I think Dozer's reading is the wrong way round, selling him would show the other's that no-one is safe under the new regime. Brutal but it will either fire them up to put everything on the line because the next move is a step down, or force them to use their agent to find that next move.

Doesn't mean I'd be upset to see him here next season and I'd love to be proved wrong and see him converted into a deeper more reliable passer, but I reckon his days are numbered.

[dozer]

As soon as we get a proper structure in place above Ten Hag, they'll set in motion our transition to an elite side. It'll take time, but that is the stated aim. They will know full well that top teams need to dominate the ball and regardless of what manager is in charge, moves will be made to sign reliable passers and movers for the midfield. Bruno isn't that player. He's an outlier. Would've been banging for a Fergie side but the game has moved on.

If we had Mbappe or Salah or even Saka latching onto his hollywood balls, we could probably play as we do now and do semi alright as they'd take the chances, but that won't be the way that Berrada and Ashworth will look to play. I genuinely believe they'll design a club philosophy (even third league clubs do that in Germany FFS, I once saw a handout for MSV Duisburg through a colleague and it was a 40 page book on how they want their players to play at all levels) and I'm 99% sure it won't revolve around a number 10 trying to be Michael Laudrup but throwing the odd tantrum.

I'd take well less than 100m for Bruno. Funds will need to be raised and he's a big earner. Like Ash says, I'd take money for any of them apart from the core young talents. I think Dozer's reading is the wrong way round, selling him would show the other's that no-one is safe under the new regime. Brutal but it will either fire them up to put everything on the line because the next move is a step down, or force them to use their agent to find that next move.

Doesn't mean I'd be upset to see him here next season and I'd love to be proved wrong and see him converted into a deeper more reliable passer, but I reckon his days are numbered.

Selling Bruno won't show that no one is safe in the new regime ffs. How can that be?
People can see that the likes of Martial, Sancho, Antony, Rashford, Mount, Lindelof, Dalot, AWB, Malacia, McT, etc are still around - or least most of them will be.
If we lose all of them, and Bruno then sure. the message is no one will be safe.

Giggs in his final years did exactly what Bruno did. He lost a lot of balls but made the risky passes. Bruno is a number 10. Why should he play deep?
We have Mainoo and Casemiro who play deep and are reliable passers.

Again, if we sell Bruno who do we play there? Mount is the only replacement.
Do we buy? Then why bring up FFP if we need a world class number 10 - we'll need to spend around that amount anyway.
Now, why deal with the unpredictability in terms of fitness and the quality of the new player for us?
We've not saved money. The Bruno money has been used up for a new player.
We've only added risk because of the unknowns of a new player.

Also who will be the club captain now? Bruno isn't ideal because of his William Gallas style tantrums but the club captain has to be someone who leads by example and Bruno is the only consistently good player in the squad who gives his 100% throughout the game, is fully fit over the years and is of top quality. Everyone else is terrible in at least 2/3 of these qualities.

[Jason]

Letter to the fans.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... oc_knPpWm0

Doesn't want to leave the club.

[Felwin]

Fair play to the lad. Still frustrates me at times but I’m willing to admit that it’s probably me who’s the dinosaur because I still want Robbo or Keano in midfield.

I wouldn’t sell him just for the cash (and INEOS may think like that with our Cashflow issues) but I do think long term we might need a player who doesn’t chuck it forward at every opportunity. Unless we appoint some revolutionary manager, the top teams just don’t play like that and whenever Rangnick or Ten Hag has tried to play Bruno deeper or wide, he’s not the same player. Not his fault, but it’ll be something a top backroom team will think about.

[swampash]

[swampash]

Letter to the fans.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... oc_knPpWm0

Doesn't want to leave the club.

Can someone expand on this, so I don’t have to sign up to a zillion cookies on my iPad?..

[swampash]

Just spotted that he's extended his contract.
Pretty positive news I'd say.