If I were Peter Kenyon, I'd be setting my sights on United... then again, if I were David Gill, I'd be turning my accusations towards Peter Kenyon... and as Pini Zahavi, I'd be pitting one against the other... lastly as Rio Ferdinand, I'd sit tight and claim innocence before buying my favourite island resort...
Seems to me as if everyone is playing their part, and this recent uproar over who did what with whom, a mechanism for negotiation, and on the part of the press, news that sells!
The bottom line is, Rio Ferdinand is captain elect of the largest club in the world and there's only one outcome from this. United keep their man, Ferdinand gets his money and the Board have another reason not to buy in the season break, making Alex Ferguson the real loser in all this...
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Wonder What's Next on the Menu
Winning the FA Cup is scant consolation... Red is the color on the faces of fans all over the planet, and red is the mark of failure this season. For despite the unfortunate taste buds of some prawn sandwich loving fans, the majority of us associate Manchester United with nothing less than glory and guts. Far be it that we be called fair weather fans, for our passion for the club burns not red but blue even in intensity, the manner in which we have served the better cuts of the hunt to our London and Milan based rivals slaps even the strongest of us into submission that we are just not good enough this year.
On the pitch, the quality of the squad is nowhere near the previous championship winning teams under Sir Alex. For despite the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo, it is beyond the first team that United demonstrate weakness. No longer do we have a ready replacement for each first team position. In key areas, particularly between the posts, players have the confidence of someone trying to avoid bad headlines as opposed to hungering for success. The self-belief and unbreakable spirit of the past rings hollow in some hearts and can only bring grief to the likes of Keane and Rooney who may be at opposite ends of their careers but very much soul mates at the fiery edge of determination as far as temperaments go. Perhaps it is the failure of Carlos Queiroz to impose a winning mentality to the squad. Compare the quiet and calculated pre-Real Queiroz to the more unsure post-real Queiroz who is seen as picking up broken pieces of his pride in the hallowed dugouts of Old Trafford. Can it be a despondent Sir Alex who has forgotten where the lines of friendship end and where the boot of profesionalism belongs... for I have not seen a team under him until now, that played with so little pride and fire as they did against Norwich.
Perhaps the problems lies not only on the lesser greens this year. Throw into the fray Malcolm Glaziers bid to takeover the plc and his highly geared plan to facilitate this. Rather than focusing on the core business of football and franchise, the Board of Directors have been forced into pre-emptive defensive positions that is only detrimental to the overall health of the club. Who is to say that canvassing for support only takes place outside of the locker room? Even Sir Alex, the proverbial captain of the ship, has voiced his displeasure at having limited funds made available to fortify the team. Sell before you buy is the mantra - except in football, more so with the big clubs, not making the grade guarantees poor returns for players. At this point, the 30 million pounds supposedly to be made available for purchasing players under the Glazier scheme smacks like a bouquet of roses - except when you read between the lines and realise this is part of a road much travelled - and you remember the plight of Leeds...
But there's hope yet for Red Devils...
Change is looming. I wonder if we will see the likes of Scholes, Giggs, Brown and even Fortune next season. I am sure Kleberson, Carroll and Ricardo will be donning other colors next season. And I won't be surprised if Silvestre, Bellion and sadly Tim Howard make may for newer blood as well.
Watch out for some young guns to build their legacy. I quite fancy Spector (yes, he should be a more regular inclusion) and Pique to break into the first team squad with Rio as the centre of their universe! Fletcher will learn from this season and make central midfield his - perhaps with a new midfield enforcer (see next para). Watch out for a brand new Saha once he overcomes this bad patch! And sit back and watch Rooney build the most fearsome attacking duo on the planet with a fit Van Nistelrooy.
With the outflux of talent, expect some younger legs on the flanks and a bold sweep for a midfield dynamo from AC Milan... And if I get my way, Paul Robinson will cement his England no.1 in our stripes rather than mundane white!
You know it is bad when fans start talking about next season with the FA cup still at stake. But there's really nothing to look forward to in Cardiff...
On the pitch, the quality of the squad is nowhere near the previous championship winning teams under Sir Alex. For despite the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo, it is beyond the first team that United demonstrate weakness. No longer do we have a ready replacement for each first team position. In key areas, particularly between the posts, players have the confidence of someone trying to avoid bad headlines as opposed to hungering for success. The self-belief and unbreakable spirit of the past rings hollow in some hearts and can only bring grief to the likes of Keane and Rooney who may be at opposite ends of their careers but very much soul mates at the fiery edge of determination as far as temperaments go. Perhaps it is the failure of Carlos Queiroz to impose a winning mentality to the squad. Compare the quiet and calculated pre-Real Queiroz to the more unsure post-real Queiroz who is seen as picking up broken pieces of his pride in the hallowed dugouts of Old Trafford. Can it be a despondent Sir Alex who has forgotten where the lines of friendship end and where the boot of profesionalism belongs... for I have not seen a team under him until now, that played with so little pride and fire as they did against Norwich.
Perhaps the problems lies not only on the lesser greens this year. Throw into the fray Malcolm Glaziers bid to takeover the plc and his highly geared plan to facilitate this. Rather than focusing on the core business of football and franchise, the Board of Directors have been forced into pre-emptive defensive positions that is only detrimental to the overall health of the club. Who is to say that canvassing for support only takes place outside of the locker room? Even Sir Alex, the proverbial captain of the ship, has voiced his displeasure at having limited funds made available to fortify the team. Sell before you buy is the mantra - except in football, more so with the big clubs, not making the grade guarantees poor returns for players. At this point, the 30 million pounds supposedly to be made available for purchasing players under the Glazier scheme smacks like a bouquet of roses - except when you read between the lines and realise this is part of a road much travelled - and you remember the plight of Leeds...
But there's hope yet for Red Devils...
Change is looming. I wonder if we will see the likes of Scholes, Giggs, Brown and even Fortune next season. I am sure Kleberson, Carroll and Ricardo will be donning other colors next season. And I won't be surprised if Silvestre, Bellion and sadly Tim Howard make may for newer blood as well.
Watch out for some young guns to build their legacy. I quite fancy Spector (yes, he should be a more regular inclusion) and Pique to break into the first team squad with Rio as the centre of their universe! Fletcher will learn from this season and make central midfield his - perhaps with a new midfield enforcer (see next para). Watch out for a brand new Saha once he overcomes this bad patch! And sit back and watch Rooney build the most fearsome attacking duo on the planet with a fit Van Nistelrooy.
With the outflux of talent, expect some younger legs on the flanks and a bold sweep for a midfield dynamo from AC Milan... And if I get my way, Paul Robinson will cement his England no.1 in our stripes rather than mundane white!
You know it is bad when fans start talking about next season with the FA cup still at stake. But there's really nothing to look forward to in Cardiff...
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