Still Following the Trawler

After the  disappointing  revelation that Carlos Tevez rejected a new 5-year contract, I now challenge any United fan - especially those of an overly confident nature - to say: a) We're better off without Ronaldo and, now, Tevez; b) We'll still comfortably be at the top of the league come next season; c) With the £80 million we'll get from Ron we'll buy at least one world class player to replace him; d) All of the above. We're obviously not in an irreversible, crucial situation (yet), but this is not good news. We appear to be struggling to replace Ronaldo, as either no one is willing to sell or Madrid are clearly not letting United have a sniff by getting there first, so the last thing we needed was for a second key player to leave us in as many weeks. In my previous blog I mentioned the possible signing of Benzema, especially if Tevez were to leave, however the problem is Lyon's hesitation to sell him before the 2010 World Cup (presumably because they feel the...

So Real have stepped up their chase for Ribery? If this is the case, and we are left without a chance of replacing Ron with this ludicrously gifted player (especially as Monsieur Zidane is sticking his nose in as Perez's 'right hand man' - whatever that means - and convincing his compatriot that the Bernabeu is the place to be), then who will we get? Opinions much appreciated please as, I don't know about you, but it's starting to look a bit scary... 1. Valencia (£15-17 million). Age: 23 ; Position: winger ; Club: Wigan . Someone we've been heavily linked with and, unlike Munich with Ribery, the interest we have shown has been matched by Wigan's intent to cash-in. Talent and pace are undeniable, however his goal-scoring ability (with only 6 in 48 games) completely unrivals Ronaldo's. A mate of mine interestingly told me though, that while Ronaldo made about 8-10 successful tackles over the Premiership season, Antonio made over 100 challenges; showing his...

After a turbulent week, actually, a month of fairly uncertain times and moderate devastation for our club (I‘m mainly referring to the Champions League final, NOT Ronaldo), my excitement towards the cinematic event of my lifetime was eagerly anticipated and more than welcomed. As a fan, one-time supporter and eternal admirer of the footballer/genius Eric Cantona, the concept of a film with the great man as its subject was always going to be an excruciatingly inspiring moment for me. So much so, that as much I have anticipated the release of Looking for Eric , I have desperately avoided finding out anything about the film so as to keep every moment of the ‘Pos Premier’ as fresh and appealing as possible. To top it off, it is directed by Ken Loach; the most authentic and socially real British filmmaker of his generation who’s films I generally like a great deal (wasn‘t too sure about Sweet Sixteen ). I gave-in to the trailer (I couldn’t help it!), but even still, my understanding of what...

The harder and faster the speculation arrived, the deeper my denial and ignorance became. As much as people (by people, I mean everyone) have said that this was completely inevitable, the romantic, child-like football fan inside me genuinely never saw it coming. An disproportionate number of United fans have immediately expressed an ultra-positive view towards the news that Ronaldo will be sold to Madrid. They say that now is the time for him to leave, for they have grown tired of his tantrums and vocal desires to leave the club; how his view that moving to Madrid will progress his career is demeaning and embarassing to United (seeing how Madrid are actually shit); and, of course, how we will now take the £80million, say thank you very much, and spend on anyone and everyone. All of these are valid and probably truthful points; however such a one-dimensional, conveniently forgetful perspective will not only reject his pivotal contribution over the past few seasons, namely the season bef...

Manchester United statement at 9:30am: " Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. At Cristiano’s request - who has again expressed his desire to leave - and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player. Matters are expected to be concluded by 30 June. The club will not comment until further notice.” So it would appear that the inevitable transfer will finally be completed. Cristiano Ronaldo will finally be able to sleep easy in his bed safe in the knowledge that he has arrived at a club as facile and vein as himself. Obviously my opening statement is highly subjective and perhaps even ever so slightly harsh, but what I do think is that the motive behind this transfer and that of Kaka a few days ago must be looked at. Florentino Perez has just been re-elected the president of Real Madrid despite his rather ignominious resig...