Neville misses pres season tour

Yet another injury. To be honest i would be happy if Wes Brown, John O'Shea and Rafael are the players battling it out for the right back spot with Gary Neville coming inat right back or centre half in the carling cup. I think a bit too much was made of Gary Nevill'e revival towards the end oflast season. He has been a great servant and can come in and do a job against the lesser lights but he has become, sad to say, a passenger against the better teams.
In fact this could be a big season for Rafael, if he in fact going to become a top class right back, surely this is the season he has to start showing it consistently. After the way Evra's form dipped unsurprisingly towards the back end of last season, and the events of this summer's world cup debacle with France, it would be a good thing if either O'Shea or Fabio came in onthe left hand side to make sure Evra doesn't burn himself out towards the business end of the season again.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/10/gary-neville-manchester-united-summer-tour

The red knights have met again according to the Telegraph. Hmmm, why now and what do they know, hopefully good news
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7883424/Manchester-United-bid-resurrected.html?

Paul Hayward reports on tomorrows final between the two heirs of the Cruyff dynasty.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jul/10/world-cup-final-spain-holland
Of all the really great footballers, Johann Cruyff is undoubtedly the only player to have had almost as great an influence after his playing days were over as when he dazzled us in the sixties and seventies. I'm not sure that this Dutch team play the game the way the great man would appreciate though.

More on the Dutch link to Spanish or should i say Catalan football, this time surprisingly Van Gaal
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/the-man-who-taught-spain-to-play-2023864.html

Ossie Ardilles continues the them saying that the Spanish team resemble the great Dutch team of 1974.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/spain/7882642/World-Cup-final-Spain-resemble-the-great-Holland-side-of-1974-says-Ossie-Ardiles.html

Neil Forsyth thinks a Spanish win would save the world cup. I don't actually buy into much of the article, taken as a whole i think the tiurnament has been piss poor. I think everybodies fogetting that Spain didn't really play anywhere near their best until the semi final. And i haven't enjoyed a single Dutch performance so far and i have seen every one of them unfortunately. The one sentence that caught my eye was when he asked how United sold Pique for half of what they have shelled out for Smalling. That is a good question and i just hope that doesn't become an even bigger question once the season begins.
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2010/07/09/world-cup-spanish-win-would-save-world-cup/

Arjen Robben tips Sneijder to join United and says he is the only player who could replace Paul Scholes, who is one of the outstanding players of his generation. Buy that man a drink. It's just a pity that i don't believe we are in for Sneijder and that i can't stand that diving cheat Robben.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=807833&sec=transfers&cc=5739

Fergie denies making bids for anyone.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/11/manchester-united-wesley-sneijder

A columnist i don't generally have much time for with a surprisingly good column on the rifts in all three parties but especially the lib dems
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul/john-rentoul-labour-must-leave-a-door-ajar-for-clegg-2023713.html

John Naughton wonders about the future of western employment, good article.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jul/11/apple-foxconn-start-ups

One of my all time favourite groups New Order