Didnt United once shanghai Forlan at an airport as he arrived into London? How quickly they forgetâŚ
Shan, youâre coming across like a 5-year old with your âReal Madrid are tapping up worse now than United ever have doneâ attitude. The facts are United have done it in the past and now itâs happening to them. Itâs part and parcel of football whether they like it or not. And if they donât like it, which they seemingly donât judging by their complaint to FIFA, then they probably shouldnât engage in it themselves when it suits them to unsettle a player, like they did with RVN, Stam, Hargreaves, Saha and others. Farmerâs nailed it on this thread and it simply a case of contracts meaning nothing these days.
Also, what exactly are Real Madrid doing thatâs so awful? Theyâve made a few public comments stating that theyâd like to sign Ronaldo if Manchester United agree to sell him and the player expresses a desire to leave. Most of this âwill he, wonât heâ tripe is generated by the tabloid media and the likes of Sky Sports, who are sending journalists all around the world following players and officials from both clubs and constantly whipping up the story.
âAn understandingââŚ
What that really means is that United let it be known that they wanted Hargreaves. Hargreaves then said he wanted to move to United. Bayern Munich didnât want to sell Hargreaves but eventually let him go because they knew that the power was with the player ultimately.
The very same as Real are doing with Ronaldo. Calderon said that Ronaldo must ask for a transfer before they make a bid. United say that heâs not for sale but may ultimately end up losing him because he appears to want to join Real and the power is with the player.
Wake up and smell the cheese ShanâŚ
Bayern had a clearout last summer after a bad season and he went to United. Hargreaves also had broke his leg that season so Im sure Bayern were as eager to sell as United were to buy.
I know that Liverpool were accused of tapping up Heinze. I dont think it was myself. The rumours that clubs are after players can be hardly be considered tapping up. If Real were preparing a bid for Ronaldo regardless of whether Ronaldo was to ask for a transfer then I wouldnt have a problem with it.
Where do rumours come from?
Someone at a club leaking it to the media. Do you think this is done without the consent of the the top brass at the club? No - itâs done to unsettle the player to either get him to think about leaving or drop the price considerablyâŚ
By all means be pissed off to think that your best player wants to leave to join a bigger club but donât try and muddy the pursuerâs name when to do so is to in fact muddy your ownâŚ
Whatâs wrong with manipulating the media to your own ends?
Missing the point FlanoâŚ
I am not saying it is wrong or right only highlighting the hypocrisy of United and that piece of scum Fergsuon in particularâŚ
Thereâs nothing wrong with manipulating the media but thatâs separate to Shanâs implication that Manchester United are victims of tapping up in this instance yet have never tapped up a player themselves. Heâs either laughably deluded or under the age of eight.
Have United ever been charged of tapping up a player. I can only recall Chelsea ever being found gulity of this with that Ashley Cole business and werent they involved with a Leeds youth player and had to pay Leeds to shut them up. And lets not forget the Obi Mikkel case.
Clubs get the blame for tapping up players but its fair to say that agents are orchestrating their players to move so they can line their own pockets.
Shan, are you deluded or under the age of eight?
I am neither of those things. Throwing personal insults makes you look childish. If I want to disagree with Reals methods of unsettling Ronaldo I can. The facts are that United have never been charged with tapping up a player while others have. If you can state otherwise than I stand corrected.
I actually remember Liverpool were done for tapping up Christian Ziege.
I didnât throw any personal insults at you. I asked you a question. We all support different teams but Iâve rarely seen anyone refuse to acknowledge the obvious in relation to their own particular favourite team unless theyâre deluded or a child. Youâre coming across as either of those or a simpleton.
Again you seem to be missing out on the point. Show me the evidance that United have been found guilty of tapping up. So tell me this Bandage. Werent Celtic fined for tapping up Tommy Burns to manager Celtic after speaking to him behind Kilmarnocks back.
Yes, Celtic were fined. The point is that every single team does it and takes advantage of being higher up the food chain than other clubs theyâre more powerful than. Youâre distinguishing about officially being found guilty on the one hand and complaining about Real Madridâs behaviour with regard to Ronaldo on the other one. Yet, FIFA have said that Real Madrid have no case to answer in relation to Manchester Unitedâs complaint. They havenât officially been found guilty in this case so why the fook are you saying youâve never seen anything like their behaviour?
Thereâs loads of instances of certain clubs exerting their influence over smaller clubs and unsettling their players. Some have been given a token fine or slap on the wrist for it, while anecdotal evidence exists in other tapping up cases that hasnât been followed up on. Jaap Stam revealed he was tapped up in his autobiography. Ferguson made comments last summer about Hargreaves that are no different to what Calderon has said about Ronaldo. To suggest that all powerful Manchester United are defenceless victims and a bastion of virtue themselves is one of the most ridiculous things Iâve ever read on here. Wake up and donât take MUTV and the official Manchester United magazine and website as the definitive voice on all matters.
Theres an obvious bias against Man Utd here. They are perfectly entitled to complain about Real if they want, if some of you say its hypocritical, well youâre probably right. But Utd arenât the only club that behave like this.
Flano, I think most posters have agreed that most clubs tap up and unsettle players, with the exception of Shan who seems intent on arguing that Manchester United donât do it.
Nobodyâs singling out Manchester United here. For example, Celtic exert their influence to sign the best of the rest in the SPL. Do you think Dundee United had much of a chance of holding onto Barry Robson last January when Celtic came calling and made their interest public? Equally, if a Milan or Barca come looking for Boruc later this month then Celtic probably wonât be able to hold onto him. Different clubs in different leagues are simply higher up the food chain than others.
Itâs a fact that some clubs are more powerful than others and use agents, the media, direct representations to contracted players and all sorts of other things to unsettle players they want to sign themselves and to drive the potential price down. Itâs been happening for years and itâs more prevalent now in an era where contracts are fairly worthless. Itâs just that in the Ronaldo case Manchester United are on the other side of the fence for a change.
Thank you - thatâs all I wanted
Like what? Unsettle players through the media? Hypocritically?
Have Real been found guilty of tapping up Ronaldo? Did FIFA not throw out Unitedâs compliant?
Yet you came on here crying about thatâŚ
With Quierioz leaving it looks like Brian McClair will step into the number 2 role at United. I think its a good move. He was manager of the reserves a few years back and won the Youth Cup back in 2003 and is current youth academy director.
Anyone got a view on Sepp Blatterâs comparison of Ronaldoâs situation to slavery?
Heâs a mentalist in my opinion.