Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United

I can't pretend i saw that coming, a demolition every bit as resounding as our champions league semi final victory. I was feeling slightly more confident after we seemingly hit form in our second half against City. But then i saw the line up with no Vidic to replace the suspended Ferdinand and Park in for Giggs and no Valencia. I'd be lying if i didn't admit i would have settled for a draw.
But after the first ten minutes i had to revise my opinions. We still seemed brittle at the back but going forward the evidence was there that the form we saw in the second half against City was continuing as Rooney was looking superb and Nani was once again looking the part. The midfield trio were taking it in turns to get forward and were making a pretty good fist of controlling the middle of the park
Arshavin was seeing plenty of the ball but his use of it was poor to say the least. If he had not wasted so many of his opportunites and they had gone a goal up who knows how the game would have panned out. But he didn't and when United finally got the goal they looked like they had in them, that was that. I don't know whether the first goal was credited to Nani or classed as an own goal. But what a sublime piece of skill from our rejuvenated winger as he took three men out as if they weren't there before the cross which Almunia could only divert into the back of his own net. The second goal just minutes later just completely killed the home team off. Swap Rooney for Ronaldo and it was almost a carbon copy of the third goal in last season's semi with Rooney running almost sixty yards to get on the end of Nani's inside pass to drive the ball past Almunia to make it two nil. I t could have been even more embarrassing for the home side as Rooney set up another chance for Nani that could have made it three.
I thought Arsenal would come out determined to at least make a fight of it in the second period. But they were just as bad and United continued to completely run the game. The midfield three were superb and Arsenal couldn't get into it at all. Fabregas didn't have a sniff all afternoon, how many defeats like this will it take before he decides the Emirates is not a long term home for him. When another counter attack led to Park scoring the third you were left wondering how many we were going to get. But United eassed it down after that and Arsenal did finally have a little period of looking like they might get a goal. Even then though, they had to get a piece of luck as a Vermaelen shot that Van Der Sar had covered took a deflection to make it 3-1. United were still creating chances though and how Rooney missed in the last minute, i don't know. The fact that he could laugh about it told the story of the rest of the game.

Alan Hansen believes that Arsenal had this coming and that their title chances are as good as over.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/7122339/Alan-Hansen-Arsenals-ragged-defending-was-ripe-for-the-picking-by-Manchester-United.html

The Times on Wayne Rooney the man
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article7009572.ece

Ferguson happy with maturing Nani
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8490425.stm

The Times reckons that there is nothing solid about Keith Harris's talk of a United takeover. It is just in an exploratory stage.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article7009568.ece

Duncan drasdo of MUST responds to David Gill's laughable defence of the Glazer's
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8490005.stm

An Observer panel discuss the future of football governance and Greg Dyke gets to the crux of things in his second paragraph.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/31/premier-league-debts-panel

David Conn on the current state of football finances and where we could and should be heading.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/31/premier-league-clubs-debts

Paul Hayward on the Ferguson Wenger rivalry and 5 things we now know about football debt http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/31/sir-alex-ferguson-arsene-wenger-rivalry

Patrick Barclay wants Terry stripped of the England captaincy and it handed over to Rooney. I hope not
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/patrick_barclay/article7010394.ece

David Davis takes apart Tony Balir's performance at the Chilcott inquiry
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/31/david-davis-iraq-inquiry-blair

Nick Cohen on the disaster that is our privatised rail network, another piece of free market nonesense.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/31/nick-cohen-network-rail

The Times reports on a crisis of confidence in the western free market version of capitalism at Davos.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article7010380.ece

Robert Skidelsky thinks the worries of inflation are just plain wrong.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/01/inflation-recession-quantitative-easing

China is flexing it's muscle over Taiwan according to Martin Jacques
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jan/31/china-taiwan-united-states-arms

There is getting pissed and getting pissed as Rip Torn is charged with trying to rob a bank.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/rip-torn-actor-hollywood-hellraiser-and-bank-robber-1885175.html
He was brilliant in the Larry Sanders show. Why can't you buy that great show on DVD?

A very early clip of the classic Byrds

United in takeover calls

Is this the beginning of the end for the gimps. It's hard to know yet, i suppose they are going to have to make leaving worth their while. That would be hard to stomach but if we get our football club run along the right lines, it would be a price worth paying as far as i am concerned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8488910.stm

The green and gold campaign is really taking off and winning over the doubters, United and neutral.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1247217/DES-KELLY-Manchester-United-fans-win-flying-colours.html

Fletcher is not anti football, Wenger's description, after the home victory earlier in the season as Ferguson defends the Scottish player. It was all total sour grapes after getting beat again.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/29/sir-alex-ferguson-arsene-wenger-disagreement

James Lawton thinks Terry will have lost the trust of Capello over the captaincy. I'd like to think he lost the trust of his team mates.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-terry-can-no-longer-exploit-in-public-the-image-he-has-betrayed-in-private-1883591.html

The appearance of Tony Blur was the highlight or lowlight of the week in poilitics, here is Matthew Parris's take on preceedings. That's the first time i have read anybody inferring the neocons are trying to scapegoat him as well as the anti war movement. The easy ride he got was nauseating but totally expected.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article7008890.ece

Simon Jenkins finds the questioning appalling but thinks Blair's confident performance was undone by the lack of remorse for the loss of life at the end.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/29/tony-blair-iraq-inquiry-chilcot

Robert Fisk analyses the show from the middle east.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-and-his-ohsoclean-conscience-1883656.html

A guardian podcast on the proceedings
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/audio/2010/jan/29/tonyblair-iraq-war-inquiry

Jeremy Warner thinks the financial world has forgotten what capitalism is for.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/jeremy-warner/7105004/Capitalism-has-forgotten-to-share-the-wealth.html

I think we can safely say Michael disagrees, he thinks they know what it's for alright.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jan/30/michael-moore-capitalism-a-love-story
I don't know about evil but id like to think that junk bonds, hedge funds, leveraged buyouts and the like will be dirty words before i turn to dust. And long term i would agree some one must come up with something miles more efficient ( no recessions, depressions, mass unemployment and sink estates ) and something fairer. The Keynesian econmics of the post war years would be the starting point for looking for a new model.

Is Cameron saying one thing to the British electorate and another to the world's finacial establishment at Davos. He really is going to be Tony Blair the second if they get that majority.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/30/david-cameron-davos

It looks like Chris Morris's new film will be one to watch, as it goes down well at the sundance festival.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7006852.ece

A classic piece of Krautrock from Neu

Rooney : we are not a one man team

Not to the extent that the scousers are a two man team, but i dread to think what we would be like without him.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7099525/Manchester-United-are-not-a-one-man-team-says-Wayne-Rooney.html

Henry Winter salutes the versatility of Rooney and thinks England should think about utilising it in their next friendly. I'd rather he didn't even play in that myself.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7095311/Wayne-Rooneys-versatility-for-Manchester-United-and-England-is-good-for-the-system.html

James Lawton thinks that though our opponents are catching up on us, we still set the benchmark.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/

I was surprised United's youth team got beat so comprehensively last night.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6645838

City's democracy loving owners worried about Cook's gaffe's
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/29/manchester-city-garry-cook-sheikh-mansour

Or according to the Indy, they are happy with him and his strategy to win the war against United.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ian-herbert-city-lost-this-skirmish-but-cook-has-strategy-for-victory-in-the-war-1882427.html
You have just got to hope the indy version of City's owners is true. Comedy value.

Anthony Seldon wants Blair to tell the truth about Iraq at today's inquiry. Fat chance, he doesn't know the meaning of the word.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7007055.ece
I'm a pretty stright kind of guy, yeh.

Matthew Parris got him spot on
"I believe Tony Blair is an out-and-out rascal, terminally untrustworthy and close to being unhinged. I said from the start that there was something wrong in his head, and each passing year convinces me more strongly that this man is a pathological confidence-trickster. To the extent that he even believes what he says, he is delusional. To the extent that he does not, he is an actor whose first invention — himself — has been his only interesting role."

^{Richard Adams calls for Obama to ditch Geitner}
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/jan/28/fire-timothy-geithner

Guitarist for hire Barrie Cadogan's main project Little Barrie

Manchester United 3-1 Manchester City

What a night, that will go down as those nights where you can say " I was there ". The way things are going City will probably win something eventually, especially the way the FA cup is panning out. But we didn't want them beating us, at old trafford of all places on the way to ending the 34 year wait. I think we could all feel before the game that the atmosphere was going to be something else and it didn't let us down. That was the loudest, most partisan and raucous old trafford has been in years. People you have never heard shout anything in all the years you have been going were effing and jeffing with the best of them last night. Not that it was a night to be noticing these things but the green and gold was at least in equal in numbers to the red and white last night. That bond offer from the gimps has unified the support to a degree that has took the most ardent anti Glazer stalwarts by surprise.
The only major surprise in the team slected by Fergie was the inclusion of Nani at the expense of Valencia. As they trooped off at home time i thought Fergie had got it wrong but Nani had another impressive game in the second half before he came off with a couple of minutes to go. It seems a big pity that we now seem to have two quality right sided flank players but still no one looking like replacing Giggs on the left. It is up to Nani to keep this consistent form going though.
With a 4-3-3 formation United enjoyed a fair bit of possession in the first half without doing too much with it a well struck Giggs shot apart. City's best moments in the game usually arrived from the feet or head of Tevez and he had a really good chance in the first period but directed his header too near Van Der Sar. The second half started cautiously until Richards robbed Rooney on the half way line and ran towards the box before unleashing a fine left foot shot that was well saved by Van Der Sar. Minutes later Rooney recieved the ball running out to the left. He cut inside holding his marker off before delivering the pass of the night throught the middle for Giggs. Giggs took it wide and passed it back into the box to Nani but Nani seemed to have made a mess of it. Up popped Carrick to prod the ball bak to edge of the box for Scholes who drilled it in to the far corner to put us one up on the night and level the tie.
This was the cue for United to really up the tempo boxing City into their own half. United kept coming forward and when Fletcher kept his composure to tap it back to Carrick the side foot finish was sublime and sent old trafford into ecstasy as it seemed we were going to stop them going to Wembley. Two minutes later another brilliant move saw Nani put it on a plate for Rooney who got his feet in a tangle and put it agonisingly wide. How we thought we were going to rue that miss when from nowhere United's defence switched off and that man Tevez again popped up to beat Ferdinand to the ball and beat Van Der Sar. So it was now all square on aggregate and City had matched our away goal which would count after extra time. United pressed but City were now back in the game. I didn't want extra time because now the game was end to end and if City got another in extra time it meant we would have had to have got two. Fletcher almost put us through with a header that was brilliantly saved by Given. But a minute later another pearler of a cross from Giggs found Rooney and he made no mistake to beat Given and cue wild celebrations.
Let's face it, that was the cup final for us. Whilst City would still have had to beat Villa to end the 34 year ticker the final is an afterthought for us. If we beat Villa then great, but we won't be crying if we lose because we won last night.

Fergie hails Rooney as world class, you can say that again.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7089874/Manchester-Uniteds-Wayne-Rooney-hailed-as-world-class-after-Carling-Cup-win-over-City.html

That clown Cook played his part in last night's performance as his New York speech was mentioned in the pre match talk. Love it, he is a tool of the highest order.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2010/01/sir_alex_ferguson_paid_manches.html

Tosic to go to Cologne on loan. I still don't really understand what is going on with him. He may well not be good enough for United. But as far as i can see he has never been given a chance.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tosic-leaves-manchester-united-on-loan-1880663.html

David Conn examines the owner of our league cup final opponents Villa, Randy Lerner.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/27/randy-lerner-aston-villa
The price of that north stand season ticket just makes me angrier and angrier about how much mine is and how much it will probably next season. We used to laugh at the London clubs having £1000 season tickets. I am fully expecting my United north stand season ticket to pass that mark next season. And in a recession, truly unbelievable, i suppose theGlazers will be bragging about that too.

I have just finished watching khe Ken Burns series on the American civil war. And what struck me is how the USA is still two different countries, only now red and ble instead of blue and grey. It is one of the all time claasic history series.

A classic New Order performance from the Hacienda that i rmember watching on the old grey whistle test before that programmes demise. I used to have this on an old VHS tape somewhere once upon a time. Great track

Financial world turns against the Glazers

About time, United fan from Goldman Sachs attacks the leverage they have loaded onto the club,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7073774/Goldman-star-Jim-ONeill-attacks-Man-United-fund-raising.html

Hedge fund star Paul Marshall, according to the Tory graph takes the Glazer's to task and tells United supporters to take control of the club and return the club to the community. I agree with all that, just one question, how.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7073203/Manchester-United-fans-should-buy-the-club-says-hedge-fund-star-Paul-Marshall.html

Rooney says he is happy at United and he wants to win a fourth title on the trot.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article7002606.ece

The sun reports on the rumours that Anderson is an unhappy camper. Fergie was right he was attrocious against City, though so too was Carrick. I suppose bodies wise we need him, but i would not be upset if he went in the summer. I have no time for this argument that says that British teams don't know how to get the best out Brazillian talent, as if there is no such thing as a Brazillian who isn't as good as he built up to be. He can't shoot, he can't pick out a pass as he showed yet again last Wednesday playing behind Rooney and his positional sense is nil. He just isn't good enough.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2824361/Anderson-in-hot-water-after-skipping-Manchester-United-training.html

Matt Hughes thinks United can expose Ac Milan's ageing midfield in the the next round of the champions league. Unfortuantely two of our best three midfield players are hardly spring chickens. Added to that we have to get our creaking defence sorted out first.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article7002267.ece

The Indy runs a piece on Ruud that argues he has been a great player but has been the right player at the wrong club for the best part of his career. He certainly came to United at the wrong time. Whilst he had two great seasons at the beginning of his time here. Virtually from the off beginning of his time at United we were in transition. The capture of Veron which ultimately didn't work to feed him. Though i always thought Veron's last season was his best and he had started to show he might make it at United when he was sold to Chelsea. But it was after the championship winning side of 2003 that things really slid. He had to endure the dubious presence in the team of Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, Bellion and Forlan. Again Forlan could be to siad to be unlucky he was a good player but he didn't work alongside Ruud. When you go back and look at Ruud on old DVD's you remember what an outstanding centre forward he was. In fact every time i watch Michael Owen miss a chance i think of him.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-right-place-wrong-time-is-the-story--of-van-nistelrooys-unfulfilled-career-1877910.html

James Lawton thinks the special one is destined for old trafford, i most certainly hope not.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-mourinho-is-destined-to-be-the-star-performer-at-theatre-of-dreams-1878839.html

Henry Winter argues this is not a rent a mob rebellion, and thinks the premier league and FA would be wise to take note. It's all going horribly wrong for Scudamore all of a sudden. He might have to actually earn that big fat wage slip he recieves instead of calling for ridiculous game no. 39's.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7074687/Manchester-Uniteds-growing-anti-Glazer-brigade-should-be-wake-up-call-for-FA.html

Steve Richards argues the one thing that voters won't be able to say at the next election is that they are all the same. He has more faith in the electorate than me then.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/steve-richards/steve-richards-cut-now-or-cut-later-the-election-decider-1878821.html
Let's face it most people don't like politics, don,t follow it and don't understand it. How many people really understand how catastophic the credit crunch nearly was.

An editorial on the German centre left that shows the Blairites still rule the roost at the guardian. How does German politics reflect ours when the the christian democrats are only marginally more right wing than new labour.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/26/oskar-lafontaine-not-much-left


Larry Elliot's monday column argues that Obama's banking reforms are only half the answer to the world's economic troubles.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/25/need-address-global-economic-imbalance

Music

Built to spill - You in reverse: I didn't know much about this US indie outfit but going off this i have been missing out. A decent listen.

Dinosaur Jr - Farm: A second album from the reformed classic late 80's early 90's indie outfit. And it's another corker. Cracking tunes and more blistering guitar work from J. Mascics

Fela Kuti - Black mans cry: One of the classic early albums from Fela Kuti, great afro beat.

Four tet - Everything ecstatic: Another dollop of classy techno. There is all sorts of stuff going on but it has more of a group sound on it than earlier albums.

Herbie Hancock - Head hunters: A jazz funk classic from the man who started out with Miles Davis. Chameleon is a classic. Brilliant.

Lee perry & dub syndicate - The secret laboratory: A collaboration from a master and follower of dub. It's not right up there with his best but it has it's moments.

Manchester United 4-0 Hull City

It was hard to see us getting three never mind four with ten minutes left on the clock. Don't get me wrong United had done enough to get four goals. But with United having yet another off day in the finishing department it had turned into one of those days where you just want to see the second go in. United had totally dominated the first half, especially the first twenty minutes with Rooney and Owen linking up reasonably well and Nani having a second consecutive decent game. The second half wasn't as one sided and though Hull didn't create that much they did have one or two near misses.
It was great to see Ferdinand back at the heart of the defence. And though he wasn't stretched that hard, it wasn't hard to see why we had missed him. The difference between the defence linking up with midfield was marked. I had forgotten how much we had missed him in the air, indeed that is where Ferdinand and Vidic were a great combination at their best. Rafael continued at right back with Jonny Evans partnering Rio and Evra at left back. It was nice to see Scholes in central midfield and though he may not be the player he was, he still controls the game better than anybody else on the books from the middle of the park.
United started off in a mood to kill the game off as soon as possible. And following a Scholes shot that Myhill could only parry, Rooney opened the scoring. United's best chance of a second in the first half fell to Owen. He did well in the move leading up to the chance but once it came his way he made a mess of it. In fact from where i was sat i couldn't even tell you what he was trying to do.
The second half was a bit more low key but Rooney was still in excellent form and Nani was having probably his best game of the season beating his man occasionally and putting in some fine crosses. Will he be able to maintain this form is the question. He put in some promising performances in pre season and started the season reasonably well. But as usual his form tailed off and inconsistency turned to poor form. There is no question we could do with him firing because him and Valencia are our best two wide men at the moment. Added to that Nani does have that genuine goal threat. With twenty minutes to go Scholes and Owen were replaced by Berbatov and Gibson. I'm sad to say Gibson struggled and could hardly put a foot right. I have a feeling that after the Leeds debacle he is the one of the players playing for his United future. He played like there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders. As Scholes was taken off, i wondered whether he was being saved for the second leg or for Arsenal away. My money is on the Arsenal game in a three man midfield, but we will see.
Then came the last ten minutes as United finally clicked at the same time as Hull folded. The second goal finally came from a dreadful piece of goalkeeping from Myhill. Nani hit a long range free kick that the goalie seemed to have well covered. Whether it moved in the air i couldn't say, but whatever the goalie seemed to have it. But then like a piece of saop it came out of his hands. Instead of putting it over the bar he pushed it against the bar for the incoming Rooney to slot home to put the game safe. Minutes later a flowing attack saw Nani in oceans of space on the right and he put in a superb cross that Rooney just had to guide home to secure his hatrick. Then with time almost up he smashed home a fourth to complete a good warm up for Wednesday.
Off the pitch the green and gold protest made a good start with enough people wearing the colours for it to be noticeable to the neutral. The songs continued this time for almost the entire 90 minutes. And a couple of banners made an appearance. A good day all in all.

The Telegraph's take on Saturady's proceedings
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7063863/Wayne-Rooney-hits-four-as-fans-ignore-Sir-Alex-Fergusons-calls-for-unity.html
Not that i ever thought they would be, but Fergies programme notes were well and truly ignored.

The Glazers spent £55 million from their United piggy bank to secure the bond issue that allows them to carry on using Manchester United as their personal cash cow.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6999775.ece

The rumblings over last Wednesday's first leg continue as it emerges Fergie thought Tevez should have been sent off for his challenge on Wes in the first half.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6999985.ece

Did Tevez join City because they are a massive club or because he goes where the money is, i wonder. He hates Munich's, no he loves money. I haven't got that much of a problem with that, he comes form a poor background, it's the hypocricy i can't stand.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/24/carlos-tevez-gary-neville-manchester-city-united

Welbeck is to join Darren Ferguson at Preston on loan for the rest of the season. It should be a good move all round. Welbeck needs to play as he hasn't been playing enough football and Preston need a bit more quality up front judging from when i have seen them on the box this season. It has to be said though he hasn't really come on as expected and this will be a crucial learing experience for him. If he comes back to us and he is still getting pushed off the ball too easily and giving it away too easily, it will look like he may be another who looked great at youth level but didn't come on as expected. Sending Cleverley out on loan looks like it has been the making off him and i still think a seasons loan in the champpionship would have been the best option for Welbeck. It may well be the best option for him next season. I am looking forward to Cleverly coming back next season. The only problem i can see for Fergie and the Glazers is he is going to show Park up for tha average player that we are seeing every week, but as the prospectus showed us he is vital for them. Is that where they would start to meddle in team affairs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/preston/8478532.stm

Patrick Barclay attacks the games administators and wonders whether it is in the interests of Wayne Rooney to sign a new contract at United. The first is obvious i don't need to comment. As to that latter until they leave this club that is the £ million dollar question because everything unravels if he goes.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/patrick_barclay/article7000615.ece

Whilst Rooney is more important to United than Torres, Drogba or Fabregas according to Hansen.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7066973/Alan-Hansen-Fabio-Capello-must-fear-Wayne-Rooneys-World-Cup-burnout-for-England.html
He is that important to us but if we are not to take a step back we have got to rectify that.

The Times quotes footballs very own David Brent. Pure comedy gold.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article6999283.ece
It can't be long before Kenyon ends up at the wastelands.

King Eric to tread the boards for the first time.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cantona-launches-stage-career-as-a-man-facing-death-1877869.html

Polly Toybee the woman the right love to hate says it's time to follow Obama's lead and take on the banks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jan/22/britain-obama-banks-money-bullies
I can't think how many times i have heard some right wing pundit say they read her but disagree with everything she says. The thing is though with the credit crunch and the bail out of the banks, hasn't she been proved right. Who now argues for the full blown Thatcherite agenda.

Murdoch's economist Irwin Steltzer argues it's the politics driving Obama's banking reform strategy. I hope he actually believes in the policy as well or else i fear it will be a failure. And this is possibly the best chance this reform has. His healthcare strategy doesn't exactly leave you full of confidence.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article6999992.ece

Ferdinand : make or break

For United and England writes Alan Smith in his Telegraph column. I would say that is a fair shout.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7056039/Alan-Smith-Rio-Ferdinands-return-could-be-make-or-break-time-for-Manchester-United.html

In yesterday's press conference Fergie claimed that defensive injuries are our biggest worry.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/back-trouble-proving-a-headache-for-ferguson-1875283.html

Fergie will ask that every one gets behind the team and leaves the Glazer protest alone in today's programme notes. I can't go along with that, no way. This is more important than what goes on on the pitch, way more important, unfortunately. I mean how else are we supposed to make our feelings known. Up the green and golds.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6999269.ece

The petition that United fans have put together protesting of corporate greed.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/football4fans/

Mick Hume wonders what fans can do to take our game back.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article6999047.ece

Paul Kelso thinks the premier league will benefit from UEFA's upcoming financial proposals. He is right, though it is annoying that this could end up saving the gimps money. Whether it will come in time to save their bacon or whether the debt will see them out of the champions league before that kicks in, who knows. To be honest i can't see how they will make it to 2017, now the bond issue has been successful. When the wheels fall off somewhere down the line investors will realise that there is no way they would want to invest in the next debt rescheduling, surely.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/paulkelso/100004946/should-english-clubs-fear-uefas-financial-plans/

The madness of those responsible for running the premier league is not going unnoticed as Lawrence Donnegan lays into them.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/21/richard-scudamore-premier-league-club-finances

David Blanchflower claims that the MPC isn't working and needs to be abolished.
http://www.newstatesman.com/economy/2010/01/mpc-inflation-recession-cut

Patrick Hosking contrasts Paul Volcker with today's leading bankers and financiers and finds them self serving pygmies in comparison. And remember Volcker is no liberal pinko commie.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article6999250.ece

The guardian reports on the political problems facing Obama's banking reforms. I can't believe he is going down this route just to make the republicans look bad.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/22/barack-obama-democrats-congress-bill

Geoffery Wheatcroft on the curious memory of Tony Blair
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/geoffrey-wheatcroft-ducking-diving-and-denying-the-truth-1876426.html

The new film about the late Ian Dury starring Andy Serkis seems to be getting the thumbs up
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7949/

Ferdinand back for Hull

I would say that this was the news we have been waiting for, but i think we will have to see him in a few games first. Will he be fit, will he be able to play back to back games. I can't help thinking not much will have changed. We really need him back to his best and playing regularly. When we have been talking about the players we will need to replace soon his name doesn't get mentioned. It should.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7051513/Manchester-United-defender-Rio-Ferdinand-to-return-against-Hull-City.html

Tevez spits the dummy out, a lover spurned. Is he going to get some stick next week, i don't think he knows what he has let himself in for. It was going to be a charged up enough affair as it was.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article6997725.ece

The Neville Tevez spat shows how much it means says Kevin Garside and that Tevez wanted to stay at United.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/7047810/Pantomime-spat-between-Carlos-Tevez-and-Gary-Neville-has-resurrected-a-citys-tribalism.html

A pretty good win for the reserves last night with United romping home 4-0 with an excellent hatrick from new boy Mame Biram Diouf. Solskjaer, who knows a thing or two about these things, likes the look of him. The first goal was very well taken and the other two weren't bad.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7051089/Manchester-Uniteds-Mame-Biram-Diouf-has-fantastic-potential-says-Solskjaer.html

The bond issue will be successful acccording to the Times, but as they say, it will only buy them time. And for us it means ticket rises to pay their debt off. It means no funds to bring in the quality replacements that, may, be needed to replace the Giggs, Scholes and Neville generation. And let's hope it doesn't come to this, the sale of our best players and maybe stadium. It seems to be assumed once it has succeeded that Carrinton will be sold to another Glazer firm and leased back, once again leeching money out of United and into the bank accounts of that asset stripping, unacceptable face of capitalism families secret bank account's.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6997726.ece

An FT view
http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2010/01/21/131041/some-people-are-on-the-pitch/

At last the financial world looks like it has someone with the cojones to take it on. I hope he is deadly serious about this, because he will have to be if he is to win. At least he has heavywight backing in Paul Vocker. Amazing that someone with a hardwon reputation as a fiscal conservative looks like the man that will take on the irresponsible shysters of the financial world.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2010/01/obama_to_break_up_banks.html

Larry Elliot reports that this country needs this as much as Wall street does and that at last we hace someone in charge who has seen the light. It does seem that it took losing Ted Kennedy's old stomping ground to force the realisation, but hey ho, whatever it takes, it's the right move.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/21/banking-financial-crisis
I don't think this will affect the Glazers directly, but maybe indirectly?

The tories accuse labour of being out of touch over financial reform. It really has come to something when the tories can taunt a labour goverment over the dismantling of the Thatcherite ideological experiment.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tories-back-obama-banking-crackdown-1875767.html

Bank shares drop as finaciers cry wolf.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article6997968.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2

Rory Bremner with a nice reposte, the greed and sheer chutzpah of these people is truly amazing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/7049986/Bankers-complain-but-their-party-goes-on.html

Jeremy Warner ex Independent writer whom i am amazed now writes for the torygraph says this is only the beginning, here's hoping.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jeremywarner/100003176/great-vampire-squid-pays-out-13bn-in-taxes/

A progressive view of the cadbury takover
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/01/20/cadburys-and-kraft-what-the-left-needs-to-consider-now/

And the reactionary markets are perfect response from Jeff Randall
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/jeffrandall/7047272/Flaky-thinking-from-those-who-scream-foul-over-Cadbury.html
No progressive is argunig that foreign companies should not be allowed to take over ailing companies. But why should perfectly run British companies be taken over for no clear gain to this country. As for a huge slice of the price paid for the firm ending up in British pension funds that will pay our pensions. I think we can safely say that a fair chunk will probably end up on some offshore bank account where the British or American taxpayer come to that, wil see didly squat.

Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United

I hadn't been confident during the weeks leading up to this game. And even though City were dire i ended up being proved right. You just can't be confident with United at the moment. Even though we started off well and almost completely dominated possession in the first half we came in at half time level. Some reds have looked at the first half and said we played well. But i can't go along with that, we were the better team, yes, but because they were so bad. For all the possession they allowed us by dropping so deep and allowing us to pass it around, how many chances did we create. Apart from the goal, there weren't too many that i can remember. I have said it before on this blog, i just don't think 4-3-3- works with the players at our diposal. There just isn't enough goal threat.
What gutted me most about last night is that they were there to be killed off before we got to the second leg. Whether it was nerves or Mancini's tactics i'm not sure but the way they allowed us possession in that first period would have seen past United teams blow them away. Bu then again we aren't the team we were, as we are seeing almost every week at the moment.
Once again Valencia was in form in the first half and seemed to have his full back's measure. He was being found in space by the midfield and causing problems. Our problem at the moment is when we play this system the best player for the other side is Giggs. But Giggs hasn't the pace for this position any more, he is far better suited to the middle of the park nowadays. In fact in the second half our best provider, not for the first time this season turned out to be Evra. If he doesn't win United's player of the season this year that will tell you all you need to know about the muppets that watch United nowadays.
United's goal came from the right as Valencia beat Bellamy of all people and his cross was met by Rooney whose effort was saved by Given but diverted on to Giggs who couldn't miss. Unfortunately United seemed to settle for that as with City being so negative they just kept possession. With our defence at the moment you always get the feeling that this will be fatal. And fatal it turned out to be as we suffered yet another defensive blunder. I still have my doubts about whether the Da Silva twins will make top clas full backs as both seem to have no positional sense. And even more so if our coaches don't get them out of the habit of grabbing hold of forwards who have got past them. They have both been sent off for it and yet they both still instinctively do it. It may not have technically been a penalty last night but away from home in a semi final do you give the ref the opportunity. Once he had tried to grab hold of him outside of the box and failed he should have just tracked him. But to have another tug even if he didn't fully get hold of him was just asking for it. And of course that gave Tevez the chance to get one back at us and send City's divs delirious.
The second half started a more even affair though i still thought United were playing the better football. But we weren't enjoying the possession we had in the first period and City weren't sitting so deep. But the winning goal from Tevez was just a joke from a United point of view. I didn't need Hansen to point out how Evans and Brown were at fault for the goal. I had my eyes trained on both of them as they both approached Kompany leaving the six yard box to be defended by Valencia of all people. It was like watching a slow motion replay where you know the ending. This forced Ferguson to bring Owen on and we went 4-4-2 with Rooney slightly deeper. In this period we saw the real Rooney who with some support at last was absolutely world class and almost got us an equaliser on his own. Twice he nearly equalised with sublime pieces of football. City by now were just playing with ten men behind the ball which amazed me because Rooney and Evra apart nobody else in red was playing that well, even then. If they had tried to catch us on the break as we piled forward they could have killed the tie off. As the way United are playing at present i can't see City not scoring at old trafford.
Still it's a two legged tie and we have an away goal which will count after extra time at old trafford. I just have a nasty feeling that they will put everybody behind the ball next week and try and catch us on the break. And as even Burnley showed on Saturday we are vulnerable. If we have Vidic and Rio back for next week i will be more confident, but that is only if Ferdinand really is fit.

Gary Neville may be in trouble for giving Tevez's celebrations the midle finger. Can't the FA just leave it, we gave the abuse out so we have to take it back. Let's just let him know what we think of it next week. I am glad to see Ferguson didn't go all moral about the celebrations and describe it as one of those things that happen in football.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leaguecup/7030405/Gary-Neville-risks-FA-charge-after-alleged-obscene-gesture-to-Carlos-Tevez.html

Oliver Holt salutes the football fans fighting back against the forces trying to screw them. Which unfortunately is almost everybody earning a very fat crust from the game. Football club owners, football administrators, managers and agents together and players earning way way too much. And who are the mugs paying for all that, us.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/oliver-holt/Oliver-Holt-column-Why-angry-football-fans-are-the-heroes-of-the-resistance-article293541.html

MUST are looking at trying to entice influential and wealthy backers as part of the campaign to get the leeches out of the club.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7029199/Manchester-United-supporters-unite-in-bid-to-unseat-the-Glazer-family.html

David Conn asks whether the Glazers other companies are actually maknig any money. How much money have the chancers actually got. There is no rosey future for Manchester United with them in charge, that's for sure.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2010/jan/20/manchester-united-glazers-finances

Nothing is going right for Portsmouth as Campbell threatens to sue. It doesn't say much for Campbell, does it though. I am sure there are people at Fratton park lower down the food chain feeling the pinch who need looking out for before him.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article6994848.ece

In the week when this country proves it still hasn't learnt the lessons of the free market disaster of the last 30 years. Yanks asset stripping one of this countries most famous institutions Manchester United and now hedge funds enabling a successfull progressive company Cadbury's to be asset stripped by Kraft. It makes me laugh how w hear ploiticians and unions for that matter calling on the new owners to protect the workforce. We all know what will happen next. In five, ten at the most fifteen years time there will not be any Cadbury's jobs left in this company. I have never been a big fan of capitalism, but the kind of capitalism we are living through now is just wrong full stop. As Robert Peston half alluded to on the six o'clock news last night why should a British firm that is almost certainly better run than the foreign company trying to take it over be lost to this country and to the workers who have done such a good job. For the enrichment of already rich people in the city over here and over there, the wotld really is not a fair place is it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/19/cadbury-kraft-takeover-todd-stitzer
Hamish McRae tries to argue that on balance he thinks we are right to be comfortable with having so many British firms bought out by foreign ownership. One of the reasons given is the the amount of foreign firms that are British owned. But who exactly does that benefit, the city again. Where are the jobs that are going to sustain our economy and our well being in that. How many of those firms in 20 to 30 years time will still be British owned. And if they are sold where will that money end up, an offshore bank account?

As Larry Elliot says the city still rules and the labour party that has allowed this state of affairs to continue deserves to get annihalated at the election. Of course the problem with that is we will the get the cities and the hedge funds best friends who began the selling off of the manufacturing base of this company. There will have to be a reckoning one day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/19/old-trafford-bourneville-business-usual
Who will feel the wrath though, probably not the wealthy.

Misha Glenny pedicts that the google confrontation with the Chinese authorities is the first act of a new cyber war.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/18/america-cyberwar-google-china-computer

Gaby Hinsliff breates the tyranny of the positive people. But it stops people thinking for themselves and that's got to be good hasn't it? Keep the masses infantile.
http://www.newstatesman.com/society/2010/01/self-positive-anger-injustices

Well i expected Obam to disappoint, but not quite this quickly. He campaigned from the centre and has tried to govern from there. Why do democrats try to do that when the republicans never do.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/shock-poll-victory-leaves-obama-reeling-1873387.html
That is unbelievable defeat really.

Manchester United 3-0 Burnley

Another indifferent game that will be remembered more for what went on off the pitch than on it. It seems that the wait and see brigade have waited long enough and now seen enough to realise that the Glazers have got to go. There was a strange atmosphere for most of the game with even less atmosphere than normal. But when Burnley's fans started singing we have got more money than you it seemed to get under everybodies skin. At first the crowd got behind the team, but when those loveable security goons decided to throw out the lads that unfurled the LUHG everything changed. To make matters worse they even threw out innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with the protest. The dam all of a sudden burst and the cries of we want Glazer out started. Now we were pleasantly surprised how many people joined in. They really are public enemy number one at Old trafford now. Not before time.
The match itself was another curious performance. I didn't think we played that badly in the first half and we definitely had the chances to be in front at half time. Burnley played their part and had chances themselves including one great chance when they completely opened us up with one of the best moves of the match. Fortunately for us Flecther screwed his shot across the gaol and out of play. Nani had surprisingly been picked and whilst not brilliant he had a decent first half. With Valencia on fire on the other flank our forwards were getting some decent service. But neither Berbatov who i thought had a fair game, or Rooney who didn't, had their finishing boots on. The amount of times Valencia picked out a man in the box in the first half was superb. But the men in the middle couldn't apply the finishing touch. Nani's miss kick from the edge of the box seemed to sum it up at. Rooney is having a strange time of it at the moment. One game he is brilliant, Hull away say, next game he can be a mixture of brilliant and terrible and then he has a game like Saturday's when if it was anybody else he would have got some right stick. For some bizarre reason he seemed to play with a total absence of confidence. His finishing was woeful and he didn't really take his goal that well if we're honest.
It was good to see Van Der Sar back though even his presence couldn't stop our back line looking frail again. Apparently Gary Neville was ill before the game but played on. Burnley had two or three very good chances to score with chances to Blake and Eagles. But when Berbatov finally broke the deadlock before coming off with a recurrance of his knee problems the tide turned. Though Burnley did have one more good chance before Rooney sealed the game before he too came off. Diouf and Owen came on and whilst Owen did little as usual Diouf after getting over his nerves and settling down did show some real promise. That third goal was the type of goal we don't score too often these days. He showed good pace and a bit of bravery to get his head on it before Jensen could do anything. On a day when the rent boys got 7, 3-0 wasn't a bad return even if we were nowhere near our best again.

Daniel Taylor sums up the bizarre atmosphere on Saturday reasonably accurately. It's a pity he wrongly attributed an individuals opinions as IMUSA and MUST's when he reported the call for Ferguson to resign.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/18/manchester-united-burnley-premier-league
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7012790/Manchester-United-fans-Glazer-protests-beats-censor-following-defeat-of-Burnley.html

Alan Hansen thinks the carling cup will tell us more about where United are at than City. We are all worried about this game it goes without saying. But i saw the Everton City game in the Tollgate after the match and though they had a good first ten minutes the way they were dominated for the rest of the game showed the same problems sparky faced are still there. So if we actually turn up we have more than a fair chance. Will we turn up as always at the moment is the big question.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/7012614/Alan-Hansen-Carling-Cup-derby-presents-real-dilemma-for-under-performing-United.html

David Conn rightly questions the people running our game as our premier league are cummulitively £3.1 billion in debt.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/17/premier-league-owners

Patrick Barclay thinks Fergie hasn't covered himself in glory over the whole Glazer affair. To be honest there isn't much there i could argue with.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/patrick_barclay/article6990019.ece

Will OFCOM force sky to bring their prices down and what effect will that have on our premier leagues perilous finaces.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/17/tv-sport-media-ofcom-sky
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/17/premier-league-sky-ofcom-rights

David Blanchflower thinks we are heading for a double dip recession. Especially if cuts are madfe too soon.
http://www.newstatesman.com/economy/2010/01/rates-december-unemployment

An interesting piece on the latest exhibition, make that last before it is shut down to prepare for the football museum move. When granada was radical and serious programmes were made in the north west. Some great TV there, i especially miss World in action. Oh how we could have done with that programme in our fight against the Glazers and indeed the fight against the incompetence running this country in general.
http://www.newstatesman.com/television/2010/01/television-room-granada-urbis

What is happening at Salford rugby league?
http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=446

Disney world old trafford branch

More nonesense from the suits that own our club and understand zilch about football and proper football supporters.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/14/manchester-united-bond-scheme

The unloved Glezers roadshow continues
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6990770/Manchester-United-put-trophies-on-the-table-in-500-million-bond-pitch-to-investors.html

Glazers promise, threaten more like, to still be in charge come 2017
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c0503314-0175-11df-8c54-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

IMUSA and MUST will be jointly chairig a public meeting to discuss opposition the current situation at O'Brien's Stretford on Saturday.
http://www.imusa.org/newsarticle.php?id=234

Salford lad made good bookie Fred Done comes out against the Glazers, top marks that man.
http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/article/20100115/FREE/100119899/1134
We could do with that getting the national press.

It seems the press were gagged today being told that Ferguson couldn't answer questions due to regualtory compliance according to red news. What a surprise.

Will the bond issue work

After the initial consensus that the bond would work ( in the Glazer's terms of putting back repaying the debt that is ) doubts start to creep in.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/13/manchester-united-debt-refinancing

After the news that Carrington may be sold and leased back now comes the ultimate Leeds United comparison as the prospectus that the sale of old trafford is not out of bounds.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/glazers-raise-the-spectre-of-old-trafford-sale-to-cut-debts-1867113.html

Paul Kelso of the Telegraph specualtes on whether the bond issue is the beginning of a Glazer stategy to walk away from the club with a profit.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6988480/Is-500m-bond-scheme-the-start-of-the-Glazer-familys-Manchester-United-exit-strategy.html

United fan and Telegraph columnist Jim Whits sums the Glazer parasites up perfectly on this yahoo piece.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/jim-white/article/15691/#top-comments-nav

I wonder whether Fergie will get grilled at all on this. I hope the press just laugh if he tries to say anything about value again.

The youth team produced a cracking performance to defeat Burnley in the latest round of the youth cup. It was a pity about the injury to Josh King, but there were plenty of promising performances.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6645037

It doesn't get any better for the bindippers does it. The only problem is that could well be our future in a couple of years. In fact if the gimps are still here it almost certainly is. What was the Tampa bay stats for this season 19 played 3 won 16 lost.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/14/rafael-benitez-liverpool-fa-cup

Robert fox extols the virtues of a realistic appraisal of this countries future defence policy and the realism it shows over what we just cannot afford.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/13/defence-spending-cuts

Adrain Hamilton on what he thinks should be the west's policy response to the situation in Iran.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/adrian-hamilton/adrian-hamilton-ranting-against-iran-wont-help-reform-1867068.html
Don't meddle in internal politics and dont suffer from the delusion that if the reformers win they will be much more pro western that the mad mullahs.

Lend-lease 2010 style

More grim news from the guardian as David Conn delves further into the bond prospectus to find this reminder of what happened to Leeds United. All of this was so predicatble.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/13/glazers-manchester-united-training-ground
How can the banks let them carry on like this, or are they trying to force their hand. The prospectus lists the dangers for the future of the club. And guess what they are basically everything that people with half an eye to see have always said was why there takeover would not work.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/13/manchester-united-finances-glazer-family


At least all the broadsheets are now under no illusions about the state of what was once the best run club in football. Fergie can trot out the line that he is happy with the transfer funds available until he is blue in the face, no one will believe him now.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/glazers-lay-bare-fears-for-future-of-united-1865923.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6985569.ece

Sam Wallace asks how the plans that Platini has laid down to counter Real Madrid, Chelsea, City et al have been allowed to harm United's future. As these plans which are absolutely right in my opinion look like they will harm us before any of the clubs that wouldn't pay their way in the world without either sugar daddy owners or dubious bank loans in the case of Real Madrid. For a club where one of our former directors off the record is supposed to have said without the debt our problem would have been we would have so much money we wouldn't know what to do with it. Well we wouldn't be having season tickets increasing year on year, probably exponentialy whilst these leecshes are here, i think we can safely say.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-glazers-have-fallen-into-trap-set-for-abramovich-1865921.html

Gabriele Marcotti wants to know what the authorities were thinking off allowing this takeover.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/01/johnson-shows-tactics-may-hide-potential.html
Fiddling while Rome burns ( or doing nothing as usual the incompetent money grabbing twats )

Gordon Brown has been weakened by the plot and the labour party is going to lose the next election as far as most of the cabinet are concerned according to Martin Kettle. I had thought that there was a good chance of a hung parliament as i did not think voters would be impressed enough by Cameron and boy George Osborne ( his city nickname ). But i have come to the realisation that Labour are so bereft of standing for anything except power that they are going to get annihalated. Whilst that is the fate they well and truly deserve, i don't know if our population deserve the tory crackpots that we are going to get.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/11/gordon-brown-labour-relaunch
Thats what Marting Bright suspects
http://www.spectator.co.uk/martinbright/5693637/overestimating-the-labour-party.thtml

The guardian's TV critics choose their top 50 dramas. It's a pretty good list that has most of y favourites in, though not neccesarily in the same order as i would have had them
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/jan/12/guardian-50-television-dramas
I think i would have had the wire above the sopranos, but there is not much in it. I'm gald to see tinker tailor soldier spy in there though i wouldn't have had smileys people in it. Our friends is deservedly very high on the list i would have had red riding higher. I can't belive I Claudius doesn't make their top 50, it hasn't aged in my eyes. I can't wait for the forthcoming series of mad men starting soon.

Music

1990's - Cookies: The debut album from the Scottish indie outfit from a couple of years back. Nothing earth shattering but an enjoyable album. Scotland does produce some decent indie groups.

Breakestra - Hit the floor: This is a superb album from the LA funk orchestra. If you like 60's and 70's funk you will love this.

Fuck buttons - Sport tarot: The latest album from one of the best new techno groups of the last decade. Amongst their influences the list Mogwai and Aphex twin, two class acts. I can't here that much of Aphex twin but you can hear Mogwai in their sound.

Joni Mitchell - Blue: The classic breakthrough album from the LA based Canadian singer songwriter. It's a cracking album with some great tunes, though personally there a couple that come after this that i prefer.

The Fleshtones - Take a good luck: Garage rock from the states, it does what it says on the tin.
Short and sweet rock n roll with attitude.

Yo le tengo - Popular songs: I was surprised how melodic and poppy this album by the New york indie outfit. It works at times but ti never really lifts off to another level for me.

The Glazers, found out, at last

MUST call on the leeches to go, appropriate choice of words now time has been had to go through the small print.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6968991/Manchester-United-Supporters-Trust-label-owners-of-Old-Trafford-club-leeches.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1242452/We-rid-Glazer-leeches--Manchester-United-fans-lash-debt-ridden-owners-unveil-500m-bonds-scheme.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/glazer-critics-slam-manchester-united-interest-bill-1864727.html

David Conn describes how the Glazers and their brother leeches in arms have been using United as a personal bank
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/12/manchester-united-glazers-debt
The Telegraph specualte how much they could take out in the future
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6969666/Manchester-United-owners-take-23m-out-of-club.html
scum

There doesn't seem to be a single analyst who can see the bond working in the long term. That is, nobody thinks this will illiminate the debt, we will either be sold or have yet another refinancing package to alleviate the debt burden either 3 or 7 years hence. 7 years of not competing for the top trophies must mean we will get took over by the banks if they can't break even after all the success of last year and the sale of Ronaldo.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article6984255.ece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/12/manchester-united-finances-glazer-family
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/manchester-united-bond-debts

United too big to fail cliche trotted out again, why? was Enron or Lehman brothers both of whom put United in the shade.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mattslater/2010/01/fergies_bond_is_a_bind_for_eve.html

£75 million supposedly for transfers, the last paragraph
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6984328.ece

Ferguson comes under scrutiny
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/matt_dickinson/article6984366.ece
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/6969452/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-cant-make-a-silk-purse-from-patchwork-Manchester-United-side.html
A great football manager who knows zilch about money as the rock of gibraltar fiasco showed ( i don't like mentioning the incident that allowed these chancers the chance to get into the club ) i wish he would stop saying what such great owners they are. He could always just say that's David Gill's department, no comment.

The rumours over rooney's future at the club resurface, not just in the press, on the messageboards too.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2804004/So-Roo-will-be-next-to-go.html
If this all pans out according to the Glazers plan he will either be sold this season or next to pay off the debt, or he will want to leave as he sees a club that doesn't match his ambition. If it was the latter case i for one would not blame him.

Meanwhile one of the players that will need replacing over the next two seasons makes a welcome return to the training camp.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/edwin-van-der-sar-manchester-united

I didn't watch City last night as on such a terrible day in the history of United they were bound to win, Tevez getting a hatrick just twisted the knife a bit more. But this really sums up where we are going as a club.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/manchester-city-partnership-sporting-lisbon

Birmingham city 1-1 Manchester United

We really needed to win this one, but we came away with a hard earned point that you can't really argue against. In normal times i would have been happy with a point as Birmingham seems to be a harder place to go and get a result since McLeish took over. But with Arsenal dropping points at home to Everton with a last minute equaliser they scarcely deserved, now was the time to start picking up some points. We keep reading that United get stronger in the second half of the season and this was the time to prove it.
I can't really say i was that confident before the game, we just aren't very convincing at the moment. But United started the game well and completely bossed the first half with a strong looking line up including Scholes , Carrick and Fletcher in the middle of the park. I was a bit non plussed why Park started in front of Giggs in a game we neeeded to win and no game in midweek. But nonetheless United were playing decent stuff and controlling the game. Valencia and Rooney looked the most likely avenue for a goal to come and they combined for the best chance of the first half. Valencia won the ball on the right and spotted Rooney's run through to the box and found him with an inch perfect ball. Rooney controlled it excellently first time but his shot was superbly smothered by the advancing Hart. We had other chances but there always seemed to be a home defender putting his body on the line. Then on 38 minutes Birmingham won a corner and for the first time in the half actually got bodies in the United penalty area. And from nowhere United were 1-0 down as Evans who should have done better on the line cleared straight to the feet of Jerome who couldn't and didn't miss the chance to put the home side one up.
So United went in at half time a goal down after totally dominating the game. Unbelievable really, United hadn't been brilliant but had totally dominated the game. Chris Waddle had said on the commentary that United didn't have the player to play the killer pass and in his opinion hadn't all season. I can't argue with that. I knew we would miss Ronaldo when he left but i have to admit how disappointed i am at how much we have missed Tevez. Rooney was his usual self and Valencia played well until Fergie for some bizarre reason played him on the left and Giggs on the right late in the game. But that was it as far as creativity went. Scholes played well but he was too deep to create anything. Park was Park, so no creativity there and nobody else really stepped up.
The second half was a more even affair and Birmingham had an opportunity early in the half to extend their lead. Fortunately for United Benitez chose the wrong option and the chance was gone. Twenty minutes into the half United finally got a deserved equaliser though we had to see referee Clattenburg overule the linesman to give the goal. It says something when there are some reds who would argue that Evra was one of our best attacking players. But count me in on that i would have to agree, it is one of the reasons we were so bad against Leeds with Evra rested. And it was Evra that created the opening and it would have been Rooney who would have converted it had Dann not put through his own goal. Now we hoped United would go on and wrap the game up, but it didn't really happen. Giggs came on for the ineffective Park but bizarreley went onto the right hand side whilst Valencia switched to the left. It didn't really work as United struggled to open them up. Fletcher who was on a yellow card gambled and lost as he brought Jerome down and United's hopes of three points went with it.
This season just isn't happening for us, we really do seem to be suffering from a lack of quality. It seems from the press reports that Fergie may have given up on Berbatov. We keep hearing that he has a knee injury but it isn't noticeable when he plays. We really needed him to come good this season. When Fergie talked about the debt not being a problem ( yeah right ) he did admit that if we lost Rooney we would be in a problem. We have a problem even if he doesn't as he can't carry the team on his own. Those rumours about Spanish suitors aint going to go away if this state of affairs continues.

Paul Hayward in the Observer with a fair assessment of the game
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/jan/09/manchester-united-alex-ferguson-birmingham

Ferguson claims his hands are not tied by the Glazer debt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/08/sir-alex-ferguson-glazers-manchester-united
If he really belives that, which i cannot belive, he must be on his own.

United make a profit?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6965908/Manchester-United-announce-48.2-million-profit.html
More like a £30 million loss, and after winning the league, getting to the champions league final, an FA cup semi final and winning the League cup. Great business model that is.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/11/manchester-united-profits-cristiano-ronaldo

After doing their best to totally screw the world economy are the financial institutions now going to sign United's death warrant.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6965083/Manchester-United-aim-to-raise-500m-in-bond-sale-in-bid-to-reduce-mounting-debt.html
If a successful season like last year produces a loss, which it was if you take the Ronaldo money away then we are in trouble. Rooney apart we haven't got £80 million assets dropping off trees. By 2017 when they will presumably try to renegotiate the debt again there will almost certainly be no Ferguson, the best football manager the country has ever seen to paper over the cracks. What quality players do come through or gems that we can pick up will be sold to pay off the debt. Seeing as though what is laughably called a business model needs us to be challenging on all fronts just to service the debt. It is hard to see how this financial situation can possibly be sustainable.

Reading this latest article form the Financial times it looks exactly like the kind of wheeling and dealing that brought the economy to its knees. It would seem from this that they are going to use United to pay off their personal PIK debt. It makes me sick.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b4fa4e7e-fea9-11de-91d7-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1

Jackie Ashley's column on this countries lack of leadership, very apt.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/10/leadership-despair-positioning-public-weary

Robert Peston on the bonus culture in finance
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2010/01/the_bonus_questions.html