LONDONOGRAD

The Russification of London continues, as David Dein sells his stake in Arsenal ( and what a profit for him, but can he ever pose as someone with the clubs best interest at heart ever again ) to yet another oligarch.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKL3010886120070830
Seeing as though the government are supposedly worried about the Russian state buying into our utilities market, they don't seem too concerned about anything else they buy into. A profile of him in this mornings guardian. http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2159794,00.html
Maybe he is getting out before Putin comes after him, or is it part of the Russian states ambition to grab stakes in Britain's affairs to muffle Britain's criticism lately. Who knows?

Roma again

The draw was made for for the champions league yesterday and we got Roma again, unreal or what. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2159691,00.html

Control

I can't wait for this film to come out, i know it's a totally different type of film to 24 hour party people, but if it's half as good as that, it will do for me. The reviews and advance publicity seem to be pretty positive. http://music.guardian.co.uk/rock/story/0,,2159073,00.html

Article - 1081 - Inacity Sell Manchester Tower Plan To Ballymore

Article - 1081 - Inacity Sell Manchester Tower Plan To Ballymore

Does this mean Manchester will regain the tallest tower outside of London once Leeds have overtaken Beetham tower. In other words is it going to get built now.

A good article in the independent about the Armenian genocide of 1915 by Robert Fisk, a veteran middle east journalist. I read his book about the Israeli invasion of the Lebanon of 1982, years ago now, but it tempered the sympathy I had at the time for Israel. The Armenian article didn't really tell me anything I didn't know, it was just interesting to read about it now, as Norman Stone the tory historian who now resides and works in Turkey was giving an interview a while back saying he thought it was arguable that it wasn't genocide.
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2901136.ece

After 9/11 nobody seemed to begrudge the yanks invading Afghanistan to try and crush Bin Laden and his Taliban protectors, but I was never so sure. Once a country is invaded, when do the occupiers leave and what are their objectives for going in anyway. I mean does anybody really believe the neocons invaded Iraq for anything other than oil. I am not totally against foreign intervention, I supported the intervention in the Balkans, because for me that was in our back yard, it could have spread and we understood the nationalities involved. Saying that it is still not totally resolved, Kossovo could still reignite at any time, especially with the Russians new found assertiveness in foreign affairs. The consensus seems to be Iraq, bad war, and we should get out, Afghanistan, good war, send the rest of our troops there. But is that really so, Simon Jenkins is one of an increasing number who think not.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2158005,00.html
When you think of all the wars the British empire fought there in the last century and then the disastrous Soviet invasion in 1979 and now add in to the brew, warlords actually having a rich natural resource (heroin) to fight for, and protect, I am not sure our presence will do any good in the long run unless we are going to pump billions into their economy to wean them off the poppy crop. And pigs might fly.

As we hear stories of another Russian oligarch probably landing on these shores after escaping from Putin's Russia, an article about accountants, and how they are yet another cog in the wheel as the rich get richer, and they don't come much richer than Russian ex oligarchs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2158599,00.html

Solskjaer to become ambassador for club

The papers are saying that Ole will be staying at the club, he has been helping coach the youngsters at the club, and will continue with that. As well as that apparently he is in line to take over from Bobby Charlton as an ambassador for the club. I am glad he will stay at the club, i would say there is only Eric who is regarded as fondly as Ole has been in my years watching the reds. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2157896,00.html
Some tributes from this mornings papers,
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2903497.ece

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/08/29/sfnman129.xml

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=466973

'Supersub' Solskjaer calls time on career - Independent Online Edition > Premiership

'Supersub' Solskjaer calls time on career - Independent Online Edition > Premiership

A sad but inevitable day for a true Manchester United legend. The saddest part of his career for me, is as that article suggests, he had established that right side of midfield position for himself just before that injury struck him. When you think about that, it tells you what a fighter he was, for even though Beckham was definitely on his way out of the club, Ole was playing ahead of him on merit. That was some achievement, whilst Beckham was never as good as the hype, he was still some player, who was as good a crosser of the ball as there was in football. And yet Solskjaer as well as getting the goals you expected from him, was now putting in centres at the time that were at least the equal of Beckham. And how we missed him, when the injury nightmare hit him during that spell from 2003 -2006.
Of course Solskjaer was the only player to come out and say what all the fans were thinking about the Glazer takeover, and that from a boyhood Liverpool fan. What a pity we don't have more footballers who are prepared to have an opinion, instead of just keeping their snouts in the trough.
But we will remember him best for the goals, the last minute winner against the scousers in the treble season, the four goals against forest after coming on for the last ten minutes as a sub and of course that beautiful beautiful moment in the nou camp when he made all our dreams come true.

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER = LEGEND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m71gaKAgfso


more economics from the guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2157197,00.html

Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham

At last a win, but this was the least impressive display so far this season. We are really missing an out and out centre forward at the moment. When I heard the team announced yesterday and then saw the formation they were going to play in, i feared the worst. With Tevez as the front man and Scholes just behind and Giggs and Tevez each side, I feared that as usual this season there would be loads of possession and pretty football but not much penetration. You would have to say that Tottenhams own poor start to the season helped our cause because we were there for the taking yesterday. I am glad there are still four weeks before we play Chelsea because there is no way we we would get a result with the team and the performances we are seeing at the moment. Obviously losing first Rooney and then Ronaldo was a massive blow, but it has been really alarming how toothless we have been up front without those two.
When this season started I looked at our squad and thought it was probably the strongest squad I have seen at United, but it's took two injuries to make me wonder just how strong it really is. Why was Eagles on the bench yesterday, I have still seen nothing from him unfortunately, to change my opinion that he is too lightweight. Why was Dong substitute in front of Campbell, if Campbell was injured, I suppose that would be some excuse, but I would never have Dong on the bench, he just isn't good enough full stop. I still can't believe we sold Rossi, especially as that leaves you relying on sicknote Saha, and the only thing you can rely on him for, is to be injured.
Watching Berbatov playing for them has made me even more sure that he would look just perfect in a red shirt. He is definitely a class act, but i can't see us getting him, not this season anyway.
The way we played yesterday it was always going to take something special to break the deadlock and Nani's shot was certainly special. From what we have seen of him so far, his shooting has been his strongest asset, you can see he has got great skill, but I am not too sure he knows how best to use it. He still has a lot to learn, he always tries to take on one man too many at the moment. But to be fair we knew he wasn't the finished product when we got him, and he is playing regularly way ahead of schedule. I am not too sure why people seem to be so surprised at how good a player Hargreaves is. Everybody has seen him playing for England, by the end of the last world cup he had become easily Englands best player and I can remember him marking Giggs out of a game for Bayern playing at right back. Good as the other two signings may turn out to be, he was the signing that we really needed, right here and now to try and improve the team.
As to the penalty appeal, when i saw it live, I thought it was a penalty to be honest, but having seen it on the box now, it obviously wasn't. I am glad it happened at Old Trafford though, if that had happened away it may well have been given.
So our first win is now on the board and we are up and running, but performance wise we still have a long way to go.
James Lawton wrote a fair piece in the independent
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2898386.ece

A good piece on the observers website by Will Hutton, about the financial turmoil currently besetting the money markets.http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2156370,00.html

white stripes return to form

LATEST MUSIC LISTENED TO

1. The White Stripes - Icky thump: a return to form, i wasn't too keen on the last album, it had it's moments, but not enough of them, and at the end of the day what they do best is loud blues rock and there was hardly any on get behind me satan. The experimentation that went on that album is here too, bagpipes even, but it seems to work better when surrounded by tracks like catch hell blues.
2. Happy Mondays - Unkle dysfunktional: I was pleasantly surprised by this, i read the reviews and didn't expect much. It is pretty good, i am not saying it gets anywhere matching their heyday, but when i listen to it i want to put it straight back on. There are no wrote for lucks or 24 hour party peoples on it, but it's got a good vibe to it.

WATCHED

John Pilger - War on democracy: An excellent documentary, that for the first half lauded Chavez and his regimes efforts to help the poor, and for the second half chronicled american intervention in it's backyard. Whilst i can't argue with the second part of the programme, the yanks record in latin America absolutely stinks, the jury would have to be still out on Chavez for me. I admire what he is doing for his country for the most part, but just making alliances with anybody that has a grudge against the U.S isn't exactly an ethical foreign policy. Russian, China and Iran aren't exactly the kind of countries you would want to be bracketed with.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Heinze loses bid for Anfield move

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Heinze loses bid for Anfield move

No great surprise there then, i don't know what he was thinking, or what advice he was getting but i never thought he stood a chance of winning his case. He has completely killed his career off at United, I would have thought anyway, lets hope we can sell him abroad, i don't think we need an unhappy player skulking about in the background.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/08/cocaine_supernova_oasis_be_her.html
Meanwhile a good piece by John Harris in the guardian on the folly that was Be here now. I agree with everything he says especially where he rates Definitely Maybe as far superior to Whats the story morning glory. I remember really looking forward to this album, and reading the reviews of it, and he is right , they nearly all praised it to the skies, including a few who had been pretty lukewarm about them before. But when I heard it I just thought, oh, is that it. It really does just go on and on and on. It has been downhill all the way since, I haven't bought an album of theirs since, and I have not heard a song by them since that would get anywhere near being on the second album never mind the first.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/helen_carter/2007/08/the_tabloids_princess.html
Yet another article about the peoples princess ( yawn ) . I am glad to say i was one of the sensible ones who refused to be told that i should be distraught at the death of someone i didn't know, and didn't think much of anyway.

Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United

I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to this game, I just didn't think we had started the season well, and with them having two wins under their belt, and the confidence of having a pretty good record against us at home since they moved to the council house, it wasn't the best time for us to be playing against them. As it happens I was both wrong and right.
I was wrong because that was about as one sided a match as you will ever see, it was up there with the Arsenal cup final in 2005 and last years match at Celtic. But just like both those games we ended up losing 1-0, despite completely dominating affairs. Where I feel I was right, was my worry about our line up. What is already blindingly obvious, is that Tevez is no number nine. Good player that he is, he is not the man to be leading the attack, he is not fast or strong enough.
Up until the goal I thought that was as good as we have played so far this season. Our passing and movement had been absolutely excellent, City hadn't had a sniff in the match and then all of a sudden we were 1-0 down. Whilst I can't argue that Vidic didn't cover himself in glory, how did Geoveanni find that amount of space to run into. I thought that was one of the reasons you play 4-3-3, so you don' allow the opposition to find space in the middle of the park like that. I am presuming that Hargreaves was supposed to be the player to sit in front of the back four, if he was caught out of position it was the only thing he did wrong in the match, but unfortunately it's cost us the match. I am not blaming him though, for his first game I thought he was absolutely outstanding, if we had had him in our team last season I am totally convinced we would not have been totally taken to the cleaners in Milan in the champions league semi final 2nd leg last season. If the worst comes to the worst and our bad start continues, at least his addition makes me sure that when we get Rooney and Ronaldo back later in the season we will be even better equipped than last season to give the champions league a real good go this season.
Does anybody know when Saha will be fit, you just never hear anything about him, because he is exactly what we are crying out for at the moment. Selling Smith and Rossi, whilst keeping Saha isn't looking like such a great piece of thinking just at present. For all the talk that you can play Rooney , Ronaldo, Tevez an Giggs in any permitation of three, I have always thought that to that must be added a genuine number 9. Whilst you can't get away from saying that Micah Richards had a great game yesterday there were at least two occasions where if Saha had found himself in the position Tevez had found himself in he would have at least managed to get a shot in, obviously as we are talking about Saha I can't say he would have scored. I have to admit whilst I have never thought Tevez was the worldbeater some have tried to portay him as, I hadn't realised how slow he was. He isn't that much quicker than scholes. I am not having a go at Tevez here, just being realistic, he is a good player but his position is obviously more the one Giggs has been playing for us, just off the front man with a license to roam.
The last thing I have got to say about the last week is that we seen to have gone a bit weak defensively. Twice when we have had almost total control of games we have lost concentration, and conceded goals right out of the blue. And from a stage where we have got the opposition not knowing how they are going to get in the game, we have given them the confidence, to hang on in there. We started to concede sloppy goals towards the end of last season, but I put that down to the injuries we were carrying and the pressure of fighting on three fronts at the end of the season. But alarmingly it has carried through to the beginning of this season, and injuries are no excuse at present, with only Gary Neville absent. Personally I would prefer to see Pique play right back in front of Wes Brown, but that is as much for his passing qualities as anything else.

2007 Champions youth cup Played in Kuala Lumpa
Manchester United 1-0 Juvents

Fortunately their was some good news for United fans yesterday, as our youth won the final of the inaugural champions youth cup. Although the final cannot be described as a great game of football, it can't be argued that the best team won. I thought this was a fantastic achievement, although there weren't too many outstanding matches as spectacles to watch, the standard of football was pretty high. You didn't see too many teams giving the ball away cheaply, which of course would have been lethal given the sweltering conditions, and of course is usually the the curse of the English international team. The coaching and the fitness regime must be absolutely top rank at United these days because they were never technically inferior to anyone in the tournament, though they did have moments of good fortune against flamengo in the semi final, and in almost every game were the stronger team at the end. It is always said that English teams are at a disadvantage when playing tournaments in warmer climates, but this United youth team made up of mostly English ( and mostly north west at that ) and Irish youngsters proved that if you are good enough it doesn't matter.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=464590

Why Thailand's Generals Will Root for Man U - TIME

Why Thailand's Generals Will Root for Man U - TIME

Interesting article, though ultimately it doesn't tell us much we didn't already know. Although shinawatra is accused of human rights abuses, and is probably guilty of a least some, at the end of the day the institution that would have carried out the abuses are the military that replaced him in last years coup, and are trying to pursue him through the courts here. It is a bit reminiscent of the situation in russia, where there is no party that a western liberal could point to as the one to support, unfortunately they are all corrupt in one way or another. And money, who controls the economy is almost always at the heart of events

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/08/17/sfnnev117.xml

An interview with probably the most underated English footballer of the last twenty years in the telegraph. Unfortunately it is more about his determination to play for England for as long as he can. When you look at his increasing injury proneness over the last couple of years, and the state of the national team, that have actually got worse under Maclaren, I would have thought he is more better off thinking about one more crack at the champions league.

Rio talks About Scholes:

"Anyone who says they've not been shouted at other than Paul is probably lying. He can't be shouted at, he's too good to be shouted at. He doesn't make mistakes, he's just a great player. We've got a lot of great players but Paul Scholes is a fantastic footballer. You just say 'Paul, you do this' and that's it. Paul's loved as a footballer by his fellow professionals. For him not to have won the PFA Player of the Year or the Football Writers' Player of the Year is a travesty for someone of his talents."

You can't argue with that.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/08/16/blanc_brings_brilliance_to_bor.html


Larry White the next United manager ? It was a pity we didn't buy him earlier in his career when we had the chance, because even though you could see he was past it when he eventually did come to United, you could also see what a player he must have been in his prime.

Latest music listened to

1. The cinematic orchestra - Motion : I really loved this. i am not sure what to describe it as, for me it has elements of film score, funk and ambient techno, this was their first album. I will be checking out the rest of their stuff.
2. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger : The critics have a problem with Adams because they think he is inconsistent and underachieves. They are probably right, but he is still worth listening to, and this is ok without being anything special.
3. Parliament - Chocolate city : I am a big fan of the other half of George Clintons P-Funk collective Funkadelic, but haven't really listened to much Parliament. This was the more commercial group, thats why it never appealed to me as much. This is a good album, but i would have to say i was right to think that Funkadelic would appeal to me more.
4. Aim - Means of production : A compilation of earlier stuff, i read an internet article comparing him to DJ Shadow. It is not as experimental as he is but a good listen.

T.V
1. The Shield - building up nicely again
2. Cape Wrath - I have to say i lost interest with this over the last three to four episodes, it seemed to me to be trying to be a UK version of Lost. The fifth and then penultimate episode didn't go anywhere storywise, and could have been done away with altogether and the last episode would still have probably made as much sense. The last episode was quite good, until the very end, with everything left unresolved. I don't mind vague puzzling endings, but it just looked like they were following Lost again by setting it up for another series.


Books
1. Italy- From revolution to republic 1700- 1994 by Spencer Di Carla
I bought a fair few second hand biographies and history books from book fairs and second hand book shops about fifteen years ago, and I still have a load to get round to reading. Having read loads about the Nazi and Soviet regimes, I decided I would like to find out about Italian Fascism. But to get a better grip on that I would have to go back and read about the unification of Italy ( risorgimento ). This book contains all of that, being a general history, so seemed the best place to start. It was an excellent place to start, when you read a history of a country that you think you know a bit about, you rapidly find out that you knew nothing at all. When you look at the industrialisation of the north, it was pretty amazing to find out that Italy has no natural resources. No coal, iron ore, no gas, no oil, for me it is when you look at countries like Italy, Spain, Ireland and maybe over the next twenty to thirty years Poland, that you see what an important institution the European union has been ( i am no Eurosceptic obviously ). It was good on the north south divide, but i thought he brushed over organised crime in the south, or rather how it developed. I am going to read a biography of the statesman most instrumental in the unification in the last century, Cavour next.

An article in the guardian by economics man Larry Elliot. I have got a lot of time for his views, he is not impressed by our over reliance on the city and dependence on supposed financial guru's latest fads for trying to gamble with everybody else's money to make the super rich even richer. Instead he believes in the old fashioned values of actually making things that people want to buy, i.e manufacturing.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/larry_elliott/2007/08/the_global_financial_markets_h.html

Portsmouth 1-1 Manchester United

Oh dear, I don't think this was the start any of us expected. Last night wasn't a disaster, considering our record at Fratton park over the last few years, it was a fair enough result. But two draws against the lesser teams whilst Chelsea have won both of theirs, without Terry for both and then Carvalho for the second half of last night, has seen them get off to a flier. Add to that the loss of Rooney for two months and now Ronaldo for three games, and the first of those games against a rejuvenated City, and things ain't looking as rosy as they might have been. One thing that Fergie never did last season was rest Rooney and Ronaldo together, thankfully injuries never dictated it happened either. I can't say I would have been very confident if it had happened last season. And for all our summer signings, I can't say I am looking forward to the next three games either.
The two areas most reds thought needed strengthening in the summer were central midfield and an out and out centre forward. The acquisition of Hargreaves and Anderson looks to have taken care of midfield, whilst the signing of Nani has given us more cover out wide, especially with Park injured and with the likely hood that Giggs wont be plying his trade there any more. But the selling of first Smith and then Rossi, with just the incoming Tevez didn't really seem to solve the centre forward conundrum. I know Fergie says he thinks that Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo can play together, and he may well be right, but surely there are still going to be times when you need something different up front. Having twice brought on John O'shea it would seem Fergie can see this, which leads me to the conclusion that he must be pinning his faith on Saha.
That seems a touch on the optimistic side to me, i'm afraid.But if that is the case I would pick Saha as soon as he is fit, we don't want Tevez under too much pressure so soon after his arrival.
There were plus points from last night, we played at lot better than on Sunday, we created chances, especially in the second half and Tevez fitted in well. The goal from scholes was a beauty, he is looking as good as ever fortunately. I thought he may have Hargreaves besides him last night, and I wonder why he wasn't on the bench. I hope this injury isn't more than the niggle we keep hearing it is. I am not sure why he keeps bringing O'shea on, to me Pique would be the better option. He is better in the air, can pick a pass out as well as most midfielders and is probably more likely to get you a goal.
I can't blame anybody for their goal, it was a good goal, maybe a more defensive team would have stopped it, but that's because they would have had more men behind the ball. So we enter a derby knowing we still wouldn't go level on points with them even if we win, when was the last time that happened.

Aha-ha-ha! Steve Coogan on making TV comedy - Independent Online Edition > Media

Aha-ha-ha! Steve Coogan on making TV comedy - Independent Online Edition > Media

Glad to see this making a return, whilst it doesn't reach the heights of Partridge, it's still well worth watching. I suppose being a forty odd year old rock music fan makes it easier to get some of the gags. I thought the first series was pretty good, it was better than most of the films he has been in recently, his best effort since Gareth Cheeseman for me. Now that was a cracking half hour of comedy, what a shame we only got the one instalment of that

Manchester United 0-0 Reading

Not the start we had hoped for, it has to be said. I won't say that i saw this coming, but i don't think we have looked that great in the pre-season matches that i have seen. And what an irony that it looks like we have lost the one man who had been looking really good pre-season. The news this morning is that Rooney has a hairline fracture of the foot and will be out for at least two months. I suppose the only consolation is, it is better to have this injury at the start of the season than the end of it. It is a good job that the Tevez deal finally went through, it looks like he will be needed sooner than Fergie had envisaged. Unless Saha shrugs off whatever is ailing him at the moment. Credit to Reading, for having a game plan, and sticking to it, but i don't think United ever really got to grips with the game. I might be being unfair, but i felt we started slowly, our passing wasn't as sharp and incisive as you would have hoped, and Ronaldo never really tried to take his man on.
Ronaldo doesn't seem quite right to me at the moment, i don't know if he is carrying a knock, but we haven't really seen him take his man on, or fly down the wing pre-season and that continued into yesterdays match. Against teams that come to defend, and get everybody behind the ball, you need your best players to do something special, but that didn't really happen yesterday. True losing Rooney at half time was a big loss, but seeing John O'shea playing centre half was a bit bewildering to say the least. There must have been better options than that. We did create decent chances in the second half, and on another day we would have probably got the goal. I was more worried about the peformance, than the result, though it was two points lost that we could have done without.
Maybe we got spoilt by last season, but yesterdays performance just felt a little bit flat. We will have to lift it up a notch or three on Wednesday, because our record over the last few seasons at Fratton park hasn't been the best.

PETERLOO

I have always wondered why there is no statue or proper memorial to commemorate one of the most important events in Manchester and Britain's history. It pretty scandalous that most people have heard of Waterloo but never heard of Peterloo an event that helped to give us the freedoms we take for granted today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/britain/article/0,,2147433,00.html

Why it has been Manchester's dirty secret i don't know, i would have thought it was something to shout from the rooftops about. I hope we get something truly memorable that will totally upstage all those royalist efforts.
Apparently they have a peterloo display at the peoples history museum in town, that must be a new addition they didn't have it when i went, mind you that is a few years ago now.
http://www.iknow-northwest.co.uk/tourist_information/manchester/manchester_city/womens_history.htm

FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON AND THE WEATHER IS .....CRAP

It is usually a fine day first day of the season but today looks pretty horrible so far.Here are some United related articles in the papers this morning. Love him or loathe him it's Rio in the observer http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,,2142683,00.html
I don't think i can see this happening somehow, Gabby to stay ?
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,,2146979,00.html
Nemanja he comes from serbia
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/reading/article2241151.ece
Finally an appreciation of mr. manchester and united fan by paul morley, if you love your music and you are from manchester, a sad loss
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2147112,00.html


Final scene from 24 hour party people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JfXzvCrn9c

ANTI-GLAZER PETITION

A petition every united fan should sign. I would love to think this is going to lead to something, but being realistic, it's highly unlikely too. Nevertheless that's no reason to not sign it, every little helps http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ManUtd-Cup-Scam/

AT LAST
The tevez transfer saga is over, there is talk that he could be fit to face City next week. Maybe it would be good idea to have him on the bench, but i wouldn't start him in that match. With this signing this is now easily the strongest squad i have ever seen at united. I am not sure how long Fergie will be able to keep everybody happy, but if the players from last season improve, ie, Ronnie and Rooney, then with the players bought and the players brought back from on loan, this could be one very special season. http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2146322,00.html

LAST PRE SEASON FRIENDLIES

I managed to see the 60 minutes of the Dunfermline game last night. It was great to see Scholes back and playing for 90 minutes, and to see Hargreaves play for a big chunk of the match also. The most pleasing aspect of most of these friendlies has been how most of the youngsters have slotted in, and mostly not look overawed or out of place. That would suggest that the coaching at the club is doing it's job for us.
Pique really looks the part now, i expect we will see quite a bit of him this season. He would be my third choice centre half, so if either Rio or Nemanja get injured I would be picking him ahead of Wes Brown, Silvestre or Johnny Evans. I would like to see Johnny Evans get a few games this season, but i am not really sure where he is going to get them. I had thought he might get a few games at right back, I cant see Gary Neville playing Saturday and Wednesday once he gets fit, but i think Wes Brown and Hargreaves might be fighting for that berth. I know we have bought Hargreaves for the holding role in midfield, but i can see him figuring at right back every now and then. You need some engine to play there for us, getting up and down the pitch overlapping, and he has definitely got a good engine.
The player who has impressed me the most pre season has got to be Rooney, he looks like a man on a mission to me. We all know by the standards of what he had done in his first two seasons last year saw his form dip a bit. Now with two new forwards Nani and Anderson newly arrived at the club, and seemingly nobody guaranteed to start every game, he looks like he is trying to say drop me if you dare.

The telegraph has an interview with the legend that is Ole http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/08/09/sfnsol109.xml . I am not too sure what this season has in store for Ole, with Tevez to come i can't see him being on the subs bench too much this season, but i hope we can give him something to go out with a bang to.
Action from last nights match.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoLe_ZTwWJI

Jose Mourinho struggling again to stop United - Telegraph

Jose Mourinho struggling again to stop United - Telegraph

I can't be bothered to write my take on yesterdays match, read alan smith in the telegraph instead. This fixture becomes more of a non event every year that goes past. It's a lot of money to pay for a glorified friendly, and i didn't go. Although United were marginally the better of the two teams, neither team really deserved to win. It was a bit of shock though, to see United win a penalty shoot out, and as easily as that, i had to slap myself to make sure i was really seeing us winning it 3-0.
Watching the match though, has strengthened my conviction that we will take more points of them this season than we will lose. I know they have got injuries, and it is a bit early to be saying this, but i can see Chelsea struggling this season, especially at christmas when they lose Essien, Drogba etc to the African nations cup. If Arsenal or Liverpool can get off to a good start they may challenge Chelsea for second spot. I can't see any of those three being good enough to stop us winning the league, the only problem could be if we end up fighting on three fronts come the end of the season. I haven't been as confident as this at the beginning of the season, since the turn of the decade. I don't know what the odds are, for the champions league, but United must have as good a chance as anyone. Whilst we would all obviously love to win another champions league, it would be great for football in general to see a real attacking team lift Europeans premier prize.

DON'T MESS WITH THE CANADIANS

Read an article in the Guardian about the Russians planting their flag under the artic circle laying claim to Russian territory. Interesting article but this ending was too hilarious to not put on here.


Vladimir Putin and his submariners would however be well advised not to underestimate the Canadians, who have proved capable of seeing off the mighty US navy. There is a record of a dialogue between them and the USS Abraham Lincoln, a 100,000-tonne nuclear aircraft carrier, which asks the Canadians to divert 15 degrees north to avoid a collision. "Negative," says a Canadian radio voice. "You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision." The US captain describes the awesome assets of his battlegroup and demands compliance "or countermeasures will be taken".

Canadian reply: "This is a lighthouse. Your call."

· Dan van der Vat is a military historian and author of The Atlantic Campaign DanvdVat@sagainternet.co.uk

Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: Age-defying Giggs ready for challenge of new generation

Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: Age-defying Giggs ready for challenge of new generation

In all my time watching united, Giggs is right up there amongst the best players i have seen play for united. I think people forget how exciting it was for us as united fans to have this 16 year old local lad break into the team and almost straight away take the piss out of mature seasoned pro's. Whilst Scholes was the footballers footballer, Giggs was the one to get us out of our seats. My favourite memories of him would have to be the unforgettable winner at Villa park( where he actually came on as a sub ) and the sight of him taking on almost single handedly at times, the defence of the great Juve team of the mid 90's, zidane and all, and coming out on top. I am not sure i can see him playing another three seasons at united, but i think he will see the next two out and in doing so, beat bobby charltons all time appearance record. You never say never, but i think it will be a long long time before anybody beats that. And what a record to have, i can't think of many better lives you could live than that, twenty years at the top playing for united. I just hope he can go out with one more champions league winners medal before he bows out.
I know it has been said a million times, but if he had been English, England would have gone from being the quarter final stage team they are, to finalists or even winners, not that i care of course.

Guardian Unlimited: Arts blog - TV & radio: Chris Langham's career is most definitely over

Guardian Unlimited: Arts blog - TV & radio: Chris Langham's career is most definitely over

I wrote about the thick of it a while ago and how good it was, even without Chris Langham in it. I said i hope he managed to win his upcoming case, obviously that was before the case began. It didn't take long once the case began to realise he was guilty and was going to be found guilty. The above article says what i think better than i could write it, I hope thats not the end for the thick of it. With the hilarious escapades of the tories since brown became PM, the first of the one off specials looks ripe for a series of it's own. True we'd lose Malcolm Tucker ( Alistair Campbell ? ), but all those etonians must be ripe for a bit of mockery. Best to mock them now too, as i don't see them exersing power anytime soon

SMITH DEPARTS

I am afraid i could see this coming for him towards the end of last season. Looking back over his time at United i cannot really see why Ferguson bought him. He has never really seemed to fancy him as a first choice striker leading the line. Fair enough when he was purchased from Leeds, Ruud was still here and still banging them in. But although it seemed that you could have paired them together up front he rarely did.
To be honest, when he was at leeds i had always thought he was a player you would love in your squad, as he always sweated blood for the cause, but that he would never going to be good enough to get into our first team as he wasn't clinical enough in front of goal.
That's just about what we got from him in his first season, he did ok, the fans loved his in your face attitude, but he was never going to hit the heights for us.
Where i feel sorry for him, is what we did to his career in that second season. I can't imagine who thought he was going to make a holding midfield player, whoever he was had he never watched him tackle. I have just read that Allardyce has bought him as a midfield player, if that's true if i was Smith i would have chosen Everton if they had come in for him, i wouldn't advise any player to go to Middlesbrough.
I would imagine he will endear himself to the barcode faithful pretty quickly, they have had their fair share of shirkers wearing the shirt over the last few seasons, and that's what he won't do.
It looks like Saha must have been given a reprieve after last seasons shenanigans, i wouldn't put money on him being here this time next year though.
id=http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&news449954

United 2-3 Internazionale

That was probably the kick up the pants that was needed before the real business begins next week. After the moneymaking showbiz, it was back to proper football against opponents who know how to play and how to defend. Right from the kick off the United players looked off the pace to me, and there were far too many show pony tricks. You may get away with them against Korean and Chinese teams, but these were the Italian champions. Don't get me wrong i want to see United playing that type of football, but you have to earn the right to play like that first. But starting them in the first ten minutes against quality opposition is getting a touch too big for your boots for me, and they were made to look a bit ridiculous as Inter started to waltz through our defence as if it wasn't there midway through the first half.
The defending wasn't great all night, although Inter weren't too interested in coming forward in the second half. Attack wise, things look ok, Rooney looks ready for the season to start right now, ronaldo doesn't seem to have his speed and sharpness back yet, but showed signs in the second half that he was getting there. This isn't a criticism of him, because he was played out of position but i hope thats the last time we see O'shea in central midfield.
I know the Asian tour is done more for the money than to prepare the players for the season ahead, but as far the football goes those last two games in China were a complete waste of time. If they have to go to China again it would be nice if next time, they can arrange a better standard of opposition. Liverpool may have lost to Portsmouth in Hong Kong but that was a miles better preperation for the season ahead.
Last night showed how much we still miss Scholes when he is out of the team, lets hope he is fit to start next week against Reading.


THE FUTURE

Some great footage of the young Brit/Australian kid who's family have come back home so their son can join the United academy. Of course the dribbling catches the eye, but what impresses me even more is his bravery and refusal to give up the ball and his eye for a pass. The fact that he can beat five men, yet still lift his head and play the right pass tells me that this kid may well be the real deal. Here's hoping. Watch him in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ_RS4Q1myc