Berbatov the jury is out

The Guardian's Manchester man picks up on the rumblings of discontent amongst reds over the Bulgarians performances so far.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/dec/12/manchesterunited-premierleague
It's too early to say yet, but i had expected a bit more from him than we have seen from him so far. I was in two minds whether we should really sign him from Spurs. On the one hand i thought he was just what we needed up front a man with the skill, vision and a bit of presence. but the thing nagging me was the negative stories you heard personality and character wise about him from both Spurs and for his country. Those moaning about his lack of work rate are a bit of the mark for me, let's face it we all knew he doesn't put a shift in work wise. What worries me is that when goes quiet in a game he seems to forget he is participating in it sometimes. Unlike Eric who would disappear for 20 minutes and then pop up losing his marker to make or score the all decisive goals. He has had good games and has had the occasional game where he has done an Eric but not enough yet to convince that he is the player we thought we were getting. I just hope given time he will prove that he is that player because that would take us to another level.

Van Der Sar signs another one year extension to his contract. It's beginning to look like Fergie either doesn't think Foster is good enough or he is worried about his injury record. We can't know about the former as we haven't seen him play enough for United which is a totally different proposition than playing for Watford. But i have to admit i would be worried about his injury record, this is one position that you want your main man in goal in almost every game to give your defence the confidence it needs in the man behind them.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/van-der-sar-signs-new-contract-at-manchester-united-1063411.html

Rooney could face 2 match Euro ban which would effectively rule him out of the next round.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/rooney-may-be-handed-uefa-ban-for-stamp-1062605.html
I suppose after the Evra debacle it's ods on he'll get it.
Jim White ( whose new history of United i will have to buy) on how to curb Rooney's temper.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/3709454/Heres-how-to-tame-Wayne-Rooneys-temper.html

If MUST win this is will be great news for all football fans in the country
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1084996_reds_fans_trigger_ticket_probe

The Barca way
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/dec/12/barcelona-la-liga-messi-sid-lowe

Lords to lose out on new proposals
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/3722124/Lords-fears-over-new-ECB-Test-deal.html
I am not too sure what they are moaning about they will probably be the only ground that will be guaranteed at least one test per summer. That sems like a good deal to me.

Hard times ahead for Deroit motor city
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article5328529.ece
Once more ordinary working people paying for the greed and ideology of the rich and the cowardice of the democrats for failing to stand up to them.

The Germans start to remind Brown who and what economic model is responsible for the economic woes we face. Not that it makes them right about what should be done next, but he should be reminded the Germans have stayed where they are Politically and economically. Unlike most new labour politicos who started out on the socialist left then veered sharply to the Thatcherite right making once right wing labour figures like Hattersly seem left wing and now abandoning another set of supposedly rigidly held beliefs.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/germans-turn-the-screw-on-brown-1062874.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-crass-keynesianism-should-be-replaced-with-pure-keynes-1063033.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-germany-has-dispelled-the-myth-of-britisheu-unity-1062784.html

Sterlings plummet should worry us warns Jeremy Warner
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/jeremy-warner/jeremy-warner-sterling-becomes-a-victim-of-deleveraging-1063028.html

The Times top albums of the year, that top 5 is completely on the money
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5293605.ece

I have just finished watching the DVD of the Alan Bleasdale 80's series boys from the black stuff and it was just as good as i had remembered. The interesting feature was the original Play for today that i had never seen. It is the Middlesbrough incident where they all lost there jobs that is referred to a number of times in the later series. It was good enough anyway but it makes even more sense watching that. I just wished i had watched that first instead of going back watching it as if it was a special feature instead of being absolutely integral to the series. You see the incident that pushes Yozzer over the edge and much else that helps to explain the charcaters attitudes to each other.