United lose to Kansas City

Disappointing, yes, but only on the proviso we want United to win every time they take to the pitch. This was – for some Kansas players, without wanting to be patronising – the biggest game of their careers and a chance to put themselves in that proverbial shop window. The quality on show by our opponents demonstrated a tangible leap in quality from the last time our club visited the stateside and, for the MLS, we can see clearly that improvements have been made.

While we shouldn’t be too downhearted by the result, the performance is of some concern. Sir Alex – by choice or by force – has publicly declared his faith in largely the same players as last season and this means the likes of Gibson and Berbatov have to raise their games considerably. Untied fans will be forgiving of failure if they can see the players have given their all. There was none of that urgency on display yesterday and it’s just fortunate that Sir Alex has a chance to dust off the hairdryer before there are league points at stake.

As a side point; the players have a responsibility to themselves to ensure that last season’s League Cup success is a springboard to greater success as in 1992 and 2006 rather than the end of an era. That will require far more application and focus from certain members of our squad. 

Sir Alex draws comfort from America’s positive spin on United

What with sell out crowds and the general excitement over Manchester United during their tour of the USA it is easy to see why it has been a welcome change in atmosphere for Fergie. The Telegraph takes an interesting look on it.

A man who knows on Owen Hargreaves

..and that man is Bryan Robson. He has urged the Canadian-born midfielder to fight to save his Manchester United career after his latest injury setback prompted rumours of an impending retirement.

A key point made by Robson is regarding Hargreaves’ own faith in his progress; but even the most cynical of United fans wouldn’t begrudge Owen deciding to call time on his career if it meant preserving just his everyday ability to walk. 

Nani is playing with a permanent injury

Not really news as it hasn’t really affected his career but Nani reckons he broke a toe at the age of 14 playing barefoot in the street and it hasn’t ever recovered. You’d never have noticed when you consider how hard he can strike the ball.

Raul to leave Real

In the absence of transfer activity at United we can look around at the policy of other clubs. I’ve been a huge fan of Raul during his career at Real Madrid and his love affair with the club finally ended this weekend when it was announced he would hold a farewell ceremony on Monday.

Raul has undoutbedly become a victim of the clubs extravagant spending over recent years and the politics behind the scenes as the presidents insisted some of their big signings played. It does make me think about our own legends, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, and how glad I am that it is likely they will see out their entire career at Manchester United.

As an observer it will be interesting to see if Cristiano Ronaldo inherits the Spanish legends number 7 shirt or if he continues with the CR9 brand that he started last season.

Back the Stretford-End.com Green and Gold campaign

Finally, I make no apologies for raising the issue again – please take a few moments of your time to familiarise yourself with our Stretford-End.com campaign to stop the club releasing a green and gold shirt during the Glazers ownership; the campaign also acknowledges that we would like the green and gold colours to become part of the club after such time that the Glazers leave.

We feel it’s particularly relevant for supporters of the club who live overseas; an opportunity to you to lend your support to a campaign that is merely about preserving the relationship between the club and its supporters and to also have a huge say about keeping the clubs future faithful to its past.

If you support our campaign please join other likeminded reds who have already signed the petition and help spread the word.

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/keep-united-green-and-gold.html

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Manchester United are heading back to the USA hoping to take advantage of some of the country’s recent heightened interest in the sport; just as Stretford-End.com works on introducing a new correspondent from that side of the pond. As United hope for a strengthened stranglehold on the commercial market in America, Yolkie took time to welcome our new features writer, Kyle, before he gets to see the club he loves in his own country (Kyle, that is, not Yolkie).

The beautiful game of football (or soccer, if you like) has never really taken off in the USA. That would be the general consensus from it’s “birthplace”, anyway. Even the late 70’s boom with Pele and George Best providing top billing never really inspired a full time serious competitive nationwide league and it wasn’t until the USA were to be given the honour of hosting the World Cup in 1994 that they considered re-structuring their domestic competitions to appeal to a wider audience. With the World Cup Final this year watched by an estimated 700m people worldwide and with sponsorship deals in sports so lucrative in the US you can see why there is a great effort to try and get the game more popular.

Manchester United, though, have never had the problem of gaining worldwide popularity. The Munich disaster drew lots of interested followers and the way Sir Matt Busby led his Babes to European glory 10 years after gained the club many admirers. The triumph over adversity that really is the best story in any sport is best displayed in football at Old Trafford. More recent generations of supporters around the globe obviously didn’t learn about United through Munich, it may have been the unlikely sight of Steve Bruce scoring a double to propel the Red Devils back into the 1993 title race. It might have been Solskjaer’s right boot in Barcelona, Roy Keane’s header in Turin, it might even be watching a player like Coppell, Whiteside, Robson, McGrath, Beckham, Cantona or Giggs.

Kyle’s own experience of discovering the club is a perfect example of the unique tale that each of us lead – visiting England during the 2002 World Cup. “You might say I found it through family in the most indirect way. My aunt lives and works in London, and my family went to visit her in the summer of 2002 (I think I was about 12 years old). We arrived just in time for the World Cup. I had never seen anything like in America; everyone was so caught up in the World Cup. I got carried away in all the excitement. I watched England’s first match, and that was that. I was officially in love with soccer.”

“My favorite player during the World Cup was David Beckham, so when it came to get interested in clubs, Manchester United was the obvious choice. Unfortunately, Beckham left at the end of that season, but by then United had already taken over my heart. I’ve been a fan ever since. Also, while my aunt knows little about soccer, she loves people who have a winning mentality. When she saw how I fell in love with soccer, she would speak highly of what a winner Sir Alex was. That had an influence as well, as I’m very close to my aunt and respect her opinions.”

Having grown up in the generation that gets accusing of “glory hunting” more often than any other, I feel a little sympathy for those younger than me who can’t explain the situation, those who were simply born in that era. It’s worse still, I suppose, when you get that attachment to the club and live overseas. Kyle explains, “A lot of Manchester United fans in America are accused of “jumping on the bandwagon” just because they win a lot of trophies, but that was honestly never a factor for me. I didn’t know much about the club when I first decided to follow them, just that it was the club Beckham played for. Of course, I’ve since learned of their rich and fantastic history. To me, their success is just an added bonus to being a Manchester United fan, not the reason I am a fan. I’ve even started to get my family involved. My parents don’t necessarily watch matches unless they sit down to watch one with me, but they still follow how the team is doing. In fact, my dad and I are taking a road trip to see United play in Kansas City for some father-son bonding.”

It certainly makes up for the last time United were in the US, in 2004, when Kyle was unable to catch his team. “I live in Illinois and none of the stops in 2004 were near me. I think the closest match was in Philadelphia, which is a 14 hour drive away. I was only 14 and couldn’t drive, and unfortunately my parents didn’t want to drive 14 hours for a soccer match. I was pretty upset to have United in country and not be able to see them, but what can you do? I’ll be making up for it this summer, watching their open practice in Chicago and the match in Kansas City. To say I’m getting excited would be an understatement.”

It’s all well and good sharing the story of how we fell in love with the club – that comes in everyone’s tale and it’s all universal. What isn’t quite as universal and probably isn’t as accepted is the lengths some people go to in other countries just to watch United in the Premier League. Those people who doubt the connection “foreigners” have with the club would have their eyes opened when watching their team in a far away country where watching a 12.45pm kick off means getting up early in the morning or staying up way past any kind of reasonable bedtime. Imagine the disruption that has on your working life, your study. Then people who do that for seasons on end who spend their life savings going to Old Trafford and get casually dismissed as “daytrippers”.

Kyle’s story isn’t new to me; having visited the US several times over the last few years mid-season I’m no stranger to having my own day re-structured around United. Still, that’s my holiday. Not my every day life. His experience and fitting that in with his daily existence really shows his desire to watch the team. “The time zones certainly don’t do me any favours, but you can bet I’m up for every match. Typical Premier League match times can be as early as six in the morning here in Illinois. This is especially brutal for me being a university student who typically goes out to the pubs on Friday and Saturday nights. I typically just watch in the comfort of my home because none of the pubs want to open at 6am for matches. I used to have to search the internet for live streams of every match, but TV coverage has gotten increasingly better here in the states. Fox Soccer Channel broadcasts a few Premier League matches every week… My best match day story has to be when United played in the Club World Cup. It just so happened to fall during the week of my final exams at university. They were playing in Japan and I know at least one match was on at 4am here. Final exams or not, I was going to watch that match. I stayed up all night studying, then at 4am watched the match, and took a final exam at 7am. One word: dedication.”

That dedication to United doesn’t end at waking up at an ungodly hour to watch his team. Kyle went to see the Red Devils during the run in to the 2007/2008 season when we battered Liverpool on Easter Weekend. It’s a memory that immediately provides a warm flashback for me; I was on a family holiday myself, on the East Coast, when we got stranded in a freak snowstorm. Like many visitors, Kyle combined his matchday experience with a trip to the museum to take in in person the feel, the history of the club.

“It was like a dream come true. Seeing the history in the museum was fantastic; seeing the history and exhibits for players like Best and Charlton were really special to me. I had only read about them and seen highlights online, but yet I had so much respect for them. I’ve always really appreciated the history of the club. And of course, I had to get a picture of me walking out of the tunnel and in the dugout. The next day; we went to see United against Liverpool. It was toward the end of the 07/08 season and United demolished Liverpool 3-0. Obviously it was a great match to see! I’m dying to get back over there; I’m hoping I may make it sometime this season.”

Compounded with the feeling of having to contend with the generalisation of “glory supporting” from hundreds, thousands of miles away, Kyle also ‘suffers’ from being American. Where casting an opinion on soccer to another nationality is mentally downgraded because American’s “don’t take it seriously” so obviously “don’t know their stuff”. An American, in Manchester, supporting United. Any problems?

“I’ve never had any problems with the locals while I’ve been there; well, the locals that are Manchester United fans at least. When we first got to Manchester, my aunt wanted to stop for a bite to eat at a pub near our hotel. I immediately realized the pub must’ve been for Manchester City supporters by looking at the decorations on the wall. I was wearing my 07/08 home shirt with Ronaldo 7 on the back and a coat over the top of it. Actually, I wasn’t going to take my coat off, but my aunt noticed I was sweating and insisted. Almost immediately a small child pointed out I had a United jersey on. I got more than a few glares for that, not to mention one man who gave me a one finger salute.”

Less of a problem, more of a nice initiation. The salute is always a nice moment; it welcomes you into the family. The connection with United and the USA intensified when the Glazer family took over in 2005. Kyle recalled the impact this had on him. “I hate the Glazers. Compatriot or not, when you jeopardize the future of the club I hold so dear to my heart, you become my enemy. As far as supporting the protest, I’m a member of MUST and the proud owner of a Green and Gold scarf. You can order the scarves online from MUST, so that’s one easy (and fairly cheap) way to support the protest from the states. Also, I’ve donated to MUST to help with the Green and Gold campaign.”

The protest is something dear to most fans’ heart. It brings out the best – and worst – of fans, though there is no real wrong or right. Just what we feel we can do. With a supporter fanbase reportedly over 300 million worldwide, you would figure the vast majority of them can’t actively get to Old Trafford to voice their displeasure. Kyle doesn’t necessarily buy into the idea of a fan ownership model; more that it would be an added benefit rather than a pre-requisite.

And though there is no wrong or right, his view does bear similiarities to mine. After the Red Knights smokescreen eventually faded and that fake optimism instilled in supporters was replaced by a defeatist pessimism, it has lead to some fans questioning their own position in any boycott. “Some have taken action by boycotting the Glazers financially, but that’s not for me. I bought into the merchandise and ticket boycott when the Red Knights were preparing a bid, but once the Knights’ bid seemingly fell apart, my boycott ended. I have a real problem with spreading propaganda and asking for donations, then not making a bid before the World Cup like they said they would. They say the bid is still alive, but I find it difficult to trust them now. Whether we like it or not, the club and the Glazers are linked financially for the time being. By starving the Glazers financially, we’re starving our own club during a time of great financial need. That’s how I see it anyways. Of course, everyone is welcome to their own opinions and methods; I still see all fans as my Manchester United family.”

More recently, Kyle has been writing on his own blog and contributing to a town publication – I was impressed with his style and the way he put his opinion across, and knew instantly it would serve as a brilliant step forward for both he and the site. Stretford-End.com is taking exciting new steps in the near future and are excited that Kyle will be a part of it with us. Like us, our new feature writer is excited by next season.

“For me, the biggest hope is winning that 19th Premier League title! For some of our legends – Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Edwin van der Sar – this may be their last season at the club. Should any or all of them retire, I’d love nothing more than to send them off with that record-breaking accomplishment.

Realistically, I think we could be looking forward to a pretty successful season. I know a lot of people are looking for a marquee signing. Hell, even I would get excited by a big signing. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. However, I agree with Sir Alex. Last year we finished one point behind first place and got knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals on away goals, and that was during one of the worst injury-plagued seasons I have ever witnessed. We have the same squad with an extra year of experience, and if the players stay fit, I expect us to be competitive on all fronts. Our rivals, with the exception of City, haven’t added any big signings, so I expect we’ll be in a very strong position.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself.

You can follow Kyle on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/KDill_MUFC

You can also follow Yolkie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/yolkie_

Incidentally, we also wish to welcome Doron to the site. Doron is an extremely knowledgable United fan with a keen interest in reporting the reserve and youth sides.

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When it was finally “revealed” via statement yesterday that the Red Knights were effectively announcing their intention to NOT make a takeover bid for Manchester United in the near future, I wasn’t surprised. In fact, the more news that has come out in the last few weeks, the less confident I was about a bid at all and the more suspicious I got about the motives of supposed saviours.

Make no mistake; the intention and plan is the right one. One that all United fans should champion – returning football clubs to their roots with fan ownership is probably the only way that, in the modern game, supporters can retain a true emotional affinity from the ground up. Clearly that isn’t true of the elder generation. Those that were around in the 70s and even older, pre-Munich for example, have a lifelong relationship with the club that the corporate whirlwind cannot diffuse even if it does serve as a source of disillusion.

Furthermore, the Barcelona model shows that a club with such a proud heritage can not only remain competitive but also stay ahead.

So, why was I so undecided about the motives? Well, there was always the risk with the club being worth so much that getting the money together would be unlikely. So a cynical mind would think it was all an elaborate PR stunt. Some financial moguls referenced it as such when Keith Harris got publicly involved but nonetheless, early on, the noises were positive.

Positive enough to encourage tens of thousands to register to the MUST campaign in support of the Red Knights – MUST can’t be blamed for backing the wrong horse because the Supporters Trust is a tremendous resource and community for fans on its own merits. Back the wrong horse they have though and the cost to those who have supported the club for generations is yet to be counted.

As the campaign gained momentum and more and more dodgy financial results were published, more and more diehard fans started to pay more attention and get behind the cause. Visibly in the green and gold campaign and notably with the refusal to buy merchandise and low turnout in the renewal of season tickets. A forum thread mid-season on this site demonstrated both sides of the coin; extremist passionate pleas to boycott all money into the club and that nervousness that doing so would quickly accelerate the demise of the club. That reticence to fully stand behind the Red Knights is being justified now but it seems that this group of pirates have already made their mark.

Imagine if you will a family of season ticket holders for generations. They give up their tickets in protest; someone on the waiting list gladly snaps them up and the Red Knights just fizzle out. Might take another generation for that family to get their tickets again.

Worse is the apparent reason that the bid won’t come; because the Glazers are being “unrealistic” in their expectations. Hello. Loathe them as I do, they own a business, the most successful sports franchise in the world. Valued as such despite the debt. The naivety on show is appalling; is it acceptable, is it forgivable for a bunch of publicity hungry lowlifes to encourage some huge decisions from lifelong fans to support a bid that was never likely to materialise? They have encouraged a wide scale boycott of putting money into the club that is only likely to prompt the Glazers into bleeding more money out of the assets of the club.

At least with the yearly publishing of our nightmare accounts and all the figures that surface inbetween, the despicable behaviour of our American owners is transparent and there for all to see.

In my opinion; it’s even worse to masquerade as self proclaimed saviours of the club when in reality they have only served to worsen a situation already at the point of despair. The only likely scenario which will see the Red Knights successful in any takeover bid from this point will be to see United half in value in a very short space of time – short enough to keep the interest of the fly by night heroes.

Considering the dire straits the club are likely to be in to get to such a point and the level of contribution we will be able to attribute to the Red Knights; if they do finally seize control of the club, they shouldn’t be treated as our saviours. Especially by those who won’t be at Old Trafford to “witness the revival”.

Source: (Yolkie)

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This isn’t a blog about the Glazers’ raping of the club or David Gill’s claim that United have £95m in the bank to spend on players. Nor is it really one that centres on transfer speculation with any great significance. In the past week alone we have celebrated the birthdays of arguably the most iconic wearers of the number 7 shirt in Eric Cantona and the now departed George Best and while the shirt itself is currently occupied, there is most certainly a vacancy for the X Factor that Ronaldo possessed.

Not that it’s a slight on Antonio Valencia who not only exceeded expectations but did so by creating his own identity at the club – no mean feat considering the ego of the man he was reportedly bought to replace. United fans have never judged him as a like for like replacement and both parties have been better for it. Valencia has been tremendous in that he has added a direct dimension that even Ronaldo seemed to lack at times – but for his many qualities, he doesn’t possess the sheer outrageous imagination that United’s most famous number 7s did (not that that should count against him at all).

Wayne Rooney was required to stand up and score the goals and he did so in stunning fashion, but for his injury against Munich it’s a fair argument to say he would probably have smashed the 40 goal barrier. His game evolved as Ronaldo left and it’s fair to say that he has probably developed into more of a predatorial Hughes than a Cantona. Again, not a slight at all.

The man where most of the responsibility lied was probably Berbatov, and despite his detractors – I’m one – he did produce some moments of magic last season but they were just not at the times when they were most needed or anywhere near as consistent as they needed to be. The man who came closest then was probably Nani – he who should never be compared as the next Ronaldo. And he shouldn’t, because they’re different players. Nani clearly can’t compete with his compatriot in terms of sheer physicality – who can – but it shouldn’t be a dismissed or scoffed at point that he arguably has a more natural flair for beating his man.

It’s probably that physicality, that presence, that sets the new holy trilogy of Best, Cantona and Ronaldo apart. So if the choices to step up to the role are not quite the same (Valencia or Nani), otherwise occupied (Rooney) or untried and untested (cases for Macheda, Welbeck or Cleverley) then logic dictates the solution is outside of the club. Disregarding the fact we’re broke for a minute; who of the contenders is most suited?

Many United fans want David Silva of Valencia in precisely the kind of role we’re talking about – and if he a) wanted to move to United and not one of Spain’s big two and b) could easily adapt then despite his slight frame it’s certainly a case to be made. He has the imagination as his goal a couple of years back against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge showed. He has the reputation as one of the premier schemers in European football. His face would sell posters/cups/bed linen. But remove the suspension of disbelief over cost and the reality is grim, a reality that says he will most probably be wearing white next season, whether that’s the white of Valencia or Real.

For Silva, read Aguero. With Atletico traditionally refusing to sell to Real and David Villa’s transfer to Barca, if he was to move, Aguero’s destination would likely be away from La Liga. He is probably just a bit more established than Silva at present and has at least demonstrated he can perform in a league that isn’t his home. Money talks again though and when you factor in the higher tax bracket and Chelsea or City’s ability to offer far greater wages; even if we could afford a transfer fee of what he would command you are then relying on a footballer’s desire for glory in a mercenary world.

A little closer to home and infinitely more realistic is the growing rumour that Joe Cole, available on a free after a spell at Chelsea where he was underused and probably underappreciated, could be joining us. Plenty of tricks, undeniable ability, more importantly something to prove – sounds a bit like a certain Frenchman, if you substitute the enfant terrible risk with a slight fitness concern. As good a player as Cole is – and I think on a free he would be an excellent signing – he still doesn’t have the same wow factor (though if he does sign I reserve the right to withold definite judgement).

Leading us nicely round to the focus of the title of the blog, Ronaldo himself. Is it too extreme to think this could come true? Six months ago there were rumours of his unease in Madrid; possibly goldfish syndrome, possibly the contrast in the feel of the respective clubs. Arguably the two biggest clubs in the world but their feel could not be any more different – Madrid have been bankrolled by the country for as long as they’ve been successful, and have always bought their superstars. United meanwhile, though recently developing a successful franchise, built that upon their rich history that has included rebirth from tragedy and a generation of being the best team in the land with superstars that grew up with the club and were made BY the club. Cristiano was one of them; the shift in being one of a family to just the latest in the long line of high profile signings expected; nay, demanded to perform to unrealistic and never good enough standards was understandably difficult. With Jose Mourinho’s arrival at the Bernabeu imminent and their very public disagreement a few years ago; the seeds are sown for the rumour mongers.

It is however that desire to succeed that Ronaldo shares with Mourinho – probably best described as “nomadic determination” that means Ronaldo will stay at Madrid for next year at least. Any problems Cristiano may have had off the pitch settling in were not evident – save for a couple of flashpoints – on it. He was in phenonemal form and for me is still the best player in the world, but with Real ending the season trophyless, Ronaldo’s personal quest remains unfulfilled. He couldn’t leave a failure now, could he? But he’s made all the right noises about United since leaving, and Fergie has made it clear he would have him back in a heartbeat. This is very much a chapter in Ronaldo’s career, not the swansong, and any disillusion he feels in Madrid will be compounded by absence making the heart grow fonder; and, significantly, Ronaldo’s absence still felt at Old Trafford making his ego feel more needed.

If we are to entertain Gill’s fantasies about such a pot of money then the Ronaldo story probably has greater solidity to it than a move for Silva or Aguero; back in the real world, however, the most likely scenario is a Joe Cole signing, and even that’s dependent on if he can’t squeeze top dollar wages from Spurs. That wouldn’t be a bad thing in the short term; and I’m not crazy enough to think with the Glazers in charge we will ever have £60m for a single player at our disposal. But should they go; then the prospect of Ronaldo being back at Old Trafford in 12 months time isn’t as crazy a notion as it first seems.

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So we’ve been linked with Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Jack Rodwell, James Milner and Angel Di Maria. As much as I like to think of all the player in the world that I would love to see at Old Trafford, lets get real, we are no longer a club that can purchase a Wayne Rooney for £30 Million – we are now looking at resale value and deals to help balance the book. Why are we balancing the books? To be a safe and well run club? Total nonsense. We are over £700million in debt, which is rising year on year and the only people we are funding are the Glazer family. As much as i’d like to think we could sign these players to make us stronger next season for a potential title challenge, the reality is we are falling behind.

Ferguson has a difficult job, because he had been at the club nearly nineteen years prior to the take over in 2005. He has invested too much time, effort and passion to throw it all away and I, even if some other Reds do not, understand that. With his decision to operate under the Glazer family, he obviously will not come out and do a Rafa Benitez (although that is ironic considering he is the one who spent it all!) and blame the lack of funds to be able to purchase new blood. No, he has to state that he doesn’t believe there is value in the market – which make him look foolish, considering even us amateurs know there is. Where is the £80million Ronaldo money? Why is that not being invested back into the club? What is going on should be illegal.

The latest hefty interest rate rise of 2% to16.25 per cent (as of August) came about after United broke financial rules governing the loan. This is where the extra £75million interest comes into play, so looks like we’ll have £5million left over from the Ronaldo money. News also emerged that the Red Knights bid is looking increasingly doomed as a number of key players are becoming disaffected and are losing hope of persuading the Glazer family to relinquish power at Old Trafford. So all in all a pretty bad day if you’re a Red. The negativity comes from the apparent over-pricing of the club by the Glazer family, who are obviously content on making as much money as they can in anything they do, and a bid would only be submitted to ‘save face’, which would inevitably be turned down. The comes after mysterious reports that the Glazer family rejected a £1.5Billion offer for Manchester United from the far East.

David Gill obviously doesn’t see a problem with the lack of transfer activity or commitment:

“Hernandez and Smalling are signings we’ve already made and the other point to bear in mind is that the Premier League is bringing in squad limits next year of 25, which we clearly operate in European competitions but is now coming to the Premier League. There will be unlimited under-21s and other rules and we’ll be taking all that into consideration.”

I’ve made my feelings on Gill known in the past, which was met by mixed reaction. But the whole head in the sand attitude and Chinese government stance if you say anything negative about the Glazer family is laughable. You just have to look at the reports of long serving stewards losing their jobs because they are sticking up for what they believe in. Where is the fairness in that? Gill once famously said “debt is the road to ruin” – so where does he stand on that viewpoint now?

Anyways, Fergie’s comments are below, and if I am perfectly honest – we could lose more players than we bring in this summer. Expect Macheda, Welbeck and Gibson to be thrust forward even more next term:

‘In the market today it’s very, very difficult and the structure of our squad is good in terms of ages, the balance, the numbers and there’s a lot of good young players. In the market today it’s very, very difficult and the structure of our squad is good in terms of ages, the balance, the numbers and there’s a lot of good young players,’ said Ferguson, who was speaking in New York to promote United’s four-game tour of North America this summer. Sometimes you have to trust in all the development of the last few years and I’m going to stick with that, or most of it. There may be one signing and maybe we’d like to get a good player to the club, of course, but it’s not easy in the present day climate. I’ve nothing definite to tell you because we’re still assessing whoever’s available and the difficulties in terms of who you’d bring in.’

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Gillian Duffy may get a little more annoyed that another Eastern European has been linked with a job in the North West, although hopefully my explanation that this would be a great thing will not come across as clumsily as that of our current Prime minister – Mr Gordon Brown. Luka Modric has been in England for two years now and has shown the reason why Spurs paid over £16Million for him. I mentioned on Twitter a few weeks ago that I felt that Modric ‘looked like’ a Manchester United player. That will of course infuriate Spurs fans, who rightfully will claim that he is their player and he is going nowhere. If I was Spurs I wouldn’t sell him in a million years, however if Spurs do fail to land a Champions League spot, then who knows where Modric could play next season.

Relations are pretty poor between the two clubs following the bitter dispute over the transfer of Dimitar Berbatov two seasons ago. Modric will not come cheap and with United’s ever increasing debt, which is helping to fund the Glazer family – a potential transfer looks highly unlikely.

I recently listened to the excellent United Rant podcast that spoke about the ‘return on investment’ of potential signings – i.e. Can United (sorry the Glazer’s) sell a player on for a profit? I’m sure Roma didn’t have that attitude when they signed Gabriel Batistuta back in 2001 for over £20Million – he was 32! As ludicrous of a signing that maybe – why should United have to look at future earnings? Fergie’s record is unquestionable and the money men at Old Trafford have commercially exploited every avenue they can, so what does it matter than we make a £10million loss on a player that has helped United win trophies? When did we turn into a selling club? Ohh right, back in 2005. Before people mention Ronaldo, he was bought pre-Glazer as a hot prospect and as one of the biggest football clubs in the world we should be buying the best young talent available – but to strengthen the side not to make money out of the player, because where is that money going to go?

Back to Modric, at 25, I doubt there will be much ‘profit made’ by buying him now for £30 odd million and then selling him at the age of 32 for £3million. However, lets dream for a second that we can start competing in the transfer market for top talent again. Although Modric’s return of two goals and three assists from twenty two starts may not seem that impressive, it is his build up play and versatility that could prompt Fergie to make a move this summer. There has been talk that we could offer Spurs Michael Carrick and cash for the Croatian playmaker. Carrick has been below par this season in my book, which is unfortunate considering his unquestionable talent and passing range. He was at fault for the first Bayern Munich goal and many have questioned his slowness to close Robben down for the second – although I personally think that is a tad harsh. However if there was a possibility of bring Modric to United in exchange for Carrick, I believe United should take it.

If we compare Modric’s passing range to Michael Carrick in the same fixture, we can see Modric’s quality in the final third:

You will see that Modric has a better pass completion rate than Carrick, although Carrick attempt more passes and to be fair there are a few through balls. But what I think is key is the discipline of Modric here. Spurs aren’t as good a team as United and obviously felt that sitting back and counter attacking (different from United’s tactic in the 3-1 victory over Arsenal might I add) was the best way to beat Arsenal. It obviously worked, with Arsenal reduced to playing in front of Spurs until the introduction of Robin Van Persie, who is a much more direct passer of the football. Modric can play a deep lying playmaker, as a box to box midfield and as a wide player who drifts inside – that is versatility that only Ryan Giggs really has at United. His attack passes (which were all 100%) were most probably him dribbling out of the Spurs half and trying to get Bentley or Bale into the game. Note that the three wayward passes were from deeper, which could have been a result of Arsenal’s high pressing game.

If we take the next Spurs game against Chelsea, where Tottenham ran out 2-1 winners and our 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in November last season. United actually deserved something out of the game but for an extremely controversial John Terry header, United left London with nothing. Below are the passing stats for both players in these games:

What is interesting to note is that in both the 2-1 victory over Arsenal and the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, United played with a 4-3-3 (or similar), where as Modric had only Huddlestone beside him. The passes against Chelsea highlights his mobility to get around the pitch, whilst also his versatility in operating from the left hand side, which if I am right in saying John Terry was dragged across to cover? This blog is not a dig a Carrick over Modric, far from it. As I mentioned I am a big Carrick fan and it is unfortunate that he hasn’t been at his best this season, however if Modric was to arrive at Old Trafford – who would make way for the Croatian?

Now i’m sure this blog will be met with angry Spurs fans or United fans that think i’m living in a dream world. I am merely praising a player who I believe is one of the best playmakers in Europe and I would welcome him at Old Trafford any time, although sadly with the Glazer’s around – we may just have to settle for ‘ROI’ players.

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Every now and again you get a defeat that is so demoralising you just don’t know what to say – which is why i’ve taken so long to blog about our exit on away goals to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Like in 1993, 1998 and 2002 United have exited the competition without losing the overall tie and generally outclassing the opposition for the first 45 minutes. I hope to examine the overall performance from both legs, mistakes made and where this leaves us for the rest of the season.

Performance
I thought we were outstanding in the first half against them, they didn’t get a kick at all. Valencia was causing the hopeless Badstuber all sorts of problems whilst Rafael had ‘The next Zidane’ in his pocket and Nani left Phillip Lahm (once linked with a move to United) with ease for both of his goals. Wayne Rooney didn’t look himself, but put in a glorious ball to Valencia for the second goal. There were comparisons with the Roma game as we just blew them away pressing high up the pitch and breaking swiftly. Robben and Ribery always had their backs to goal, whilst Fletcher was harassing and hounding Van Bommel. It couldn’t have gone any better. Then Carrick made a monumental error by allow the ball to drop before clumsily falling over to allow Olic a shot at goal at a very acute angle. It was quite literally a ‘shit’ goal to give away. However, I didn’t believe this was the ‘lifeline’ Bayern needed – it merely would be a consolation goal after a dominant first half performance from United. I thought United would push on from their first half lead, however that was on the basis of eleven vs. eleven.

Rafael
I think Rafael is going to be a fine fullback and his dismissal will no doubt be a valuable lesson in his future development at the club. Scott over at RoM was quite understandably annoyed and frustrated with Rafael for his conduct and sending off, which ultimately led to United’s downfall. I can see where he is coming from but I thought his first booking was harsh. The tackle he made warranted a booking but the key issue here is should play have been stopped prior to his tackle? If the referee had of given a foul in the first place against the cunning Van Bommel (who has been doing that type of thing for years) then he may not have picked up that initial yellow card. But, that is football I guess, he did, and was then giving a yellow card for pulling back Ribery when Bayern were attacking. For me this was the key point in them match, which coincided with Wayne Rooney’s removal from proceedings due to his injury, which left Nani up top on his own.

Fergie’s decision
I’ve said it before, i’m not even qualified to talk to the man, let alone to assess his decisions, however I felt that with Rooney off we needed a presence up front in the shape of Berbatov or Macheda – however, Fergie opted for a Nani as a lone front man to run on to long balls as the Bayern backline pushed up. I was hoping that Fergie may take a big gamble and put Federico Macheda in ahead of Berbatov, however that was also very unlikely. We at The Stretty Rant think highly of the young Italian and I just felt with his knack of scoring vital goals with a limited amount of chances, it was worth a punt. Sadly though it was clear that when we went down to ten men we were restricted to playing deep (to be fair what else can you do) and looking for Nani with balls over the top after winning the ball. I think in the ten minutes that Berbatov was on the field he touched the ball once, which was from a challenge. That is not a pop at him, I didn’t think it would be his type of game – especially considering we were down to ten men. However, that is now two big games (as mentioned he only played ten minutes in the Bayern match) that he hasn’t been able to get something for us. I posed the question back in January regarding the long term future of Dimitar Berbatov, which was then backed up by Fergie’s admission that it is ‘difficult’ to include Dimitar Berbatov in a 4-3-3 formation. He has fantastic ability, has notched up a good few goals for us this season – but I believe that we were expecting a little more from him in the Chelsea and Bayern games.

Reaction to elimination
A nation of ABUs rejoiced in United’s embarrassing elimination at the hands of an inferior team. That is what it felt like on Thursday morning as I flicked through the back pages. I had a ‘Twitter conversation’ with Oliver Kay regarding his ‘prediction’ that English sides would ‘struggle’ in the Champions League this season. Compared to previous years, he would be right – English clubs have dominated the final since 2005 and now there isn’t an English club in the Semi finals even. However, the problem I had was putting United in the same bracket of tactically outclassed Chelsea, totally outclassed Arsenal and totally embarrassed Liverpool. United’s elimination was a million miles from what happened in Barcelona the night before when the best team on the planet dismantled an Arsenal side that is claimed to ‘play the best football in England’ or for that matter the way in which Jose Mourinho set up his side at Stamford Bridge in the last round. Liverpool’s continued poor performance both domestically and in the European Cup shows that last season’s push for the title and Quarter final appearance in the Champions League was indeed an over achievement for a side so reliant of two players. The Europa League is the purgatory of European competition. I personally would never want to see United associated with it as it is a monumental step backwards for a club with ambition. At least if Liverpool win it they may get an opportunity to defend it next season?

Kay’s opinion of the game, based on our exchange over Twitter, was that United were excellent in the first half, but poor for the rest of the tie. That may be true, I felt that we were awful in Munich – slow, lack of urgency – even though the Bayern centre half pairing at times looked like they’d only met each other fifteenth minutes before kick off. But if you do look at the chances in the match (and of course they had theirs) but Rooney had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 in the first half, Vidic hit the bar at 1-1 and the calamitous error by the usually excellent Patrice Evra resulted in Olic scoring his first of the tie. To be honest, that kind of summed up the tie. United looking like they were getting a result, before being dealt a hammer blow. End of the day, we are in the same boat as all four English clubs, nine times winners Real Madrid, seven times winners AC Milan and Hibernians F.C. of Malta who were eliminated in the first qualifying round back in July last season – we are all out of the European Cup. I’m not trying to argue the fact that ‘we were robbed’ – but i’m just trying to paint a picture that on the pitch (off it is completely different story) we haven’t got too many problems. Circumstance went against us with the sending off, individual errors led to three of their goals (doubt you can classify Robben’s goal as an individual error or though some have argued there is no way he should have had that amount of space) and it just wasn’t our night.

My issue with Kay’s point is that I felt that United, in 45 minutes, proved that they were a far superior side to Bayern Munich and it was just a case of ‘it wasn’t our day’. I tried to compared the performance to that of the comparison people always make with Pele and Maradona. You can’t compare Pele to Maradona in terms of attributes (so as Kay was stating that United were for three quarters of the tie) as Pele would have a 10 (out of ten) for right foot and 10 for the left, whilst Maradona would have had 7 for right foot at 20 for his left foot. So my point is that United were so dominant, so impressive and so clinical (although we could have had even more!) in the first half that it is incomparable to the other three halves of football. Some of you may think i’m mad rambling on about two old players and using an example were it is opinion based rather than fact – however, my honest assessment of the game on Wednesday was that United were simply unlucky. Not outplayed, not outclassed and most certainly not embarrassed.

Media reaction
James Ducker of the Times did an interview in their paper yesterday looking at United’s ‘troubles’ after the elimination to Bayern Munich. Ducker was extremely well balanced in his answers claiming that United can still win the title, although they are now reliant on the Londoners dropping points elsewhere. He also examined the transfer policy of United stating that although Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez are moving in the summer, United need to consider reinforcements for the aging Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville (a point raised by United Rant a couple of weeks ago) and cover for the injury prone Rio Ferdinand. There are also uncertainties on a number of players staying at the club with the Glazer family keen to make as much money as they can and get an ROI on their original player investment. Nemanja Vidic has been linked with a move away, even if he has recently stated he is happy at the club. The general conclusion from the interview is that United have an uphill struggle to win a fourth successive title, although it isn’t all doom and gloom as some people/fans are making out.

Other articles have painted Ferguson as a bewildered old fool that is ‘losing it’. I don’t know how many times i’ve heard that at the club over the years, with every time Ferguson proving the doubters wrong. Could he have changed something on Wednesday night to ensure our passage to the semi final? Of course he could have done but he choose to stick with the tactic of knocking balls over the top for Nani with the whole of the Bayern side pushing up for a second. He nearly got his wish when Patrice Evra played a ball over the top for Nani to sprint onto and was only denied by a strong hand from Butt.

Conclusion
So hopefully this is where I can bring all most points together rather than sounding a like a bitter twat going off on one and bring two old men into the equation (Pele and Maradona not Kay and Ducker!). We are out of the Champions League in a very cruel fashion. I honestly felt that we were superb in the first half and would have gone onto win the match by more goals in the second half. Michael Carrick was at fault for the first goal, whilst the sending off of Rafael and injury to Rooney changed the game. We had a great opportunity to go into the semi-finals, however it simply wasn’t to be our night. With regards to the ‘future’ – we all know the extremely worrying problems we have off the field, which has resulted in ticket prices going up, money not being spent on players and United pulling out of pre-agreed deals. However, on the pitch – we were ‘unluckily’ knocked out at the quarter final stage whilst are hot on the heels of Chelsea. A far cry from where we were in the late 70s and early 80s. We’ve been spoiled over the past twenty years and I do not think that based upon the performance on Wednesday that a massive overhaul is needed. Yolkie made the point to me that Nani turned his United career around in four months, whose not to say Anderson won’t when he returns from injury? Like I said changes are needed off the field with the ownership of Manchester United, but you can’t compare the exit on Wednesday to that of Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool, can you? You’ll argue – ‘who cares we are still out’ – and I totally agree, but there is going out and needing massive change and then there is going out and tweaking the side slightly. We all ready knew that Scholes, Giggs and Neville can’t go on for ever and I know it is frustrating to hear Sir Alex state that he won’t be buying in the summer, however he also said that Wayne Rooney wouldn’t play the other night. The manager keeps his cards close to his chest and we will have to wait and see what happens in the summer. Massively disappointing result but we need to pick ourselves up for tomorrow’s trip to Blackburn Rover as there is a fourth consecutive Premier League title to win.

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It was confirmed today that the Red Knights, a consortium of wealthy businessmen who are attempting to buy Manchester United from the Glazers, will be making a bid for Manchester United until the end of the season. The Glazer family bought Manchester in 2005 for £828Million, of which £556Million was borrowed from the bank. Both the Glazer family and chief executive David Gill have both denied that the club is for sale, although David Gill said in August 2004 (the same season the Glazer family put the club into debt) ‘Debt is the road to ruin’, which demonstrates that every person has their price.

According to the group there are more and more potential investors interested in a bid to buy back the club is rising. The Red Knights already consist of Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, lawyer Mark Rawlinson and financier Keith Harris. A statement released today read:

We will continue to work on it but do not expect it to be done before the end of the season.

The group has recently recruited the Japanese investment bank Nomura to help it put together a bid which will interest to the financially driven Glazers. A further statement read:

The Red Knights have been liaising with the Manchester United Supporters Trust, and their representatives were at our first meeting on 2 March. They remain closely involved with our plans. On 12 March we involved Nomura as our adviser. Since then they have been speaking to and meeting many potential Red Knights who have contacted us since our interest was made public. These potential Red Knights have offered ideas and support and, with the help of this input, our plans have been developed further.”

For all the latest news on MUST, The Red Knights and the growing debt – I recommend you follow WEWANTGLAZEROUT and United Rant on Twitter for the best and most up to date coverage.

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Manchester United’s brown nose chief executive David Gill believes that the planned protests ahead of the AC Milan game in March to be “ridiculous” and that fans should “get behind the team”. Mr Gill was speaking for the first time since the extent of the debt problems was made public in a bonds issue, which had been met with the same ferocious opposition as was in 2005. Gill has taken a monumental U-turn when assessing United’s need for foreign investment and opposed the take over five years ago.

Gill is clearly living in a dreamland and is out of touch with reality. He is a total hypocrite to have backed the supporters protest in 2005 but then claiming that United fans ‘should be sensible’ and ‘get behind the team’. Fuck off mate. His latest comments clearly shows his disrespect for the fans, the club and his initial fake beliefs:

“I would appeal to the fans to be sensible and get behind the team. We are a very well-run club and given what’s happening at other clubs, people should be proud of what’s happening at Manchester United. It [a protest] serves no purpose and it won’t change a thing. [Milan] will be a tough game and we can’t afford for the fans not to be there. Let’s not have ridiculous protests of that nature.”

The patronising, arrogant and downright moronic view that United fans ought to be ‘sensible’ and that a protest ‘serves no purpose’ shows that he is more concerned with his hefty wage packet than the future of the football club. I’m still bemused as to how he thinks his comments are acceptable. He is basically saying ‘stop your moaning, sit down and give us even more money to hand over to the Glazer family’. Clown. ‘We are a very well run club’ – yep £716million in debt really backs up that claim!

Although Gill was very pleased to announce that Wayne Rooney was going nowhere – probably because he is the most appealing asset to market his financial strategy blue sky thinking Asia plan (the only language these people understand, pure bollocks):

Wayne has a contract through until 2012. He has gone on record to say he wants to stay and we want him to stay. I’m sure that will be addressed in the close season. We hope that would be the case as we want to put him on a new, long-term contract. He’s 24 and has got the best years of his life ahead of him. Very few players, particularly UK-based players, want to leave Manchester United.”

I’m not too sure if Gill actually believes that Rooney will stay after that. After all he has said that he has ‘gone down on record’ – didn’t you Mr Gill back in 2005 oppose the takeover?

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Gary Neville has distanced himself from the appalling financial figures that were released by Manchester United last week. The club captain believes that the debt has “nothing to do with him” and that the players never get involved in “the financial side of things”. Neville’s comments are in complete contrast to former United captain and iconic figure Eric Cantona who claimed “Glazer could pay me 100m Euros to be manager and I still wouldn’t go there”. Should Gary Neville have been a little more tactful with his comments? It is difficult to believe that recent financial figures at Old Trafford would not concern a senior player like Neville even slightly. Or is he right – the players should concentrate on playing football rather than getting involved in finances – of course contract disputes are completely different matter, right Gary?

Gary Neville, who has made five Premier League appearances so far this season, was speaking to a Sunday paper and made the following comments:

“All the speculation about the finances at Manchester United does not affect the players. We are always very well protected and never get involved in the financial side of things. There have been talks and rumours over the years going back to when the Glazers took over, and even when Michael Knighton nearly took over in the 1980s. As players we never get involved in those things; our job is purely on the pitch and we allow people who are paid to do jobs in other areas of the club to do their job. It is nothing to do with us at all.”

I don’t understand why Neville had to make the comments in the first place? I agree that players shouldn’t be involved in the financial dealings of a club – but surely Neville understands the concerns, fears and anger from the United faithful towards the Glazer family? By stating, “it has nothing to do with us” is distancing himself with the fans that saw him replace Paul Parker in the mid-90′s and become one of the most successful full backs in the history of our club. Talk of selling Old Trafford, Carrington and Wayne Rooney to help fund the Glazer debt is quite literally unbelievable and I think Neville might be a little concerned if Rooney leaves for a rival club.

So is Neville right to distance himself from the financial crisis OR does he, as club captain, have a responsibility to speak up and voice the concerns of the fans?

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