16 August 2010 | Stretty Stories

It’s the day that every United fan has been eagerly anticipating. Manchester United will kick off their Premier League campaign at Old Trafford against “new-boys” Newcastle United. And to compliment the excitement of a new season, we also have some good stories in the papers today. Sir Alex is urging fans to back the Glazers, Giggs has set his sights on Sir Alex’s job, Ferdinand is still a month away from fitness, and Michael Owen talks about his future and the Big Four.

Sir Alex urges fans to get behind the Glazers – The Guardian

Sir Alex has once again publicly backed the Glazers and is asking fans to cease the protests. I, along with all the Stretford-End crew, have made my opinion on Glazers regime very clear. Therefore, I don’t see the need to waste time or space repeating myself on this topic. As with most things Sir Alex says, this is worth reading so I thought I’d at least provide the link.

Giggs: I want to be Old Trafford boss one day – The Daily Mail

In case you missed our post yesterday, Ryan Giggs has indicated his desire to manage either Manchester United or Wales after he hangs up his boots. One of the things I love most about United is the loyalty the club shows to its legends and the family-like atmosphere. I would love nothing more than to see a legend like Giggs take over when Sir Alex steps down. Of course, he’ll have plenty of competition. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had a successful spell managing the reserves, while Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, and Mark Hughes have all gone on to careers in managing. And let’s not forget Eric Cantona has always spoken of his desire for the job. It could just as easily be someone like Jose Mourinho or David Moyes though. Personally, I’d prefer a legend to take the job, but at the end of the day it will only matter who is most capable of leading United to more glory.

Ferguson: Ferdinand nowhere near fitness – The Daily Telegraph

Sir Alex has confirmed the Rio Ferdinand will be sidelined at least another month. The centre back has not played since picking up an injury while on World Cup duty with England. For most squads this would come as a huge blow, but we have some fantastic deputies in Wes Brown and Jonny Evans. Also, Chris Smalling seems to be Rio’s heir apparent in terms of style, so this may be a good excuse to get him some minutes on the pitch. Smalling still looks a bit rough and could use some time partnering Vidic at the back. Despite all the talented depth in the position, I’ll certainly be glad to get Rio back. His intangibles, such as leadership, are hard to replace.

Owen: I’ll be at top 5 more years – The Sun

Michael Owen believes he still has five years left at the highest level, and he hopes they’re all at Old Trafford. This may come as a bit of blasphemy, but Owen was one of those rare exceptions of a Liverpool player I was a fan of. All his struggles aside, I was pretty excited when we signed him because I had always rated him. He admits that he can no longer start every match, but is happy to play his part in the squad. With a positive attitude like that, I’d welcome him at United for years to come. With young strikers like Chicharito, Kiko Macheda, and Danny Welbeck all knocking on the door to the first team, I have some doubts if Owen will remain with United that long. His contract expires at the end of this season, and I could see Sir Alex letting him move on to make room for the youth. I’d be pleased to keep him around though. He adds valuable depth up front and plenty of experience.

Owen: Forget Big Four, it’s the Top Two – The Daily Mirror

Michael Owen certainly had an active weekend in the press, though all for good reasons. While Manchester City and Tottenham continue their efforts to crack the Big Four, Owen reckons those days have past. Now are the days of the Top Two – Manchester United and Chelsea. The veteran striker can’t seeing any other club making a challenge for the Premier League this season, and I would tend to agree. The Big Four is no more, I can’t help but see at as the Top Two and then four or five other clubs competing for the Champions League spots. Some people would prefer the league be more competitive, but I’m certainly not complaining.

Discuss all today’s matches in the forum.

You can follow Kyle on Twitter at KDill_MUFC.

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