Cleverley wanted to go on loan

Cleverley reveals the Wigan loan move was his idea. I'm not sure he was right, but fair play to him, if he is not prepared to sit on his backside warming the bench occasionally, if that is what he thought is what was going to happen.

Ferdinand started on the comeback trail with a first half appearance for the reserves in a Manchester senior cup tie against Oldham. Anderson continues his rehabilitation from injury and Wes Brown also appeared during  the 2-1 victory. Apparently Macheda scored a superb goal, maybe he will get to see a place on the bench soon.

I don't know why, but i just knew that this was going to happen. Owen Hargreaves has been selected to be part of United's 25 man squad. As i have read someone on one of United's messageboards write, this smells of the Bucs.

David Gill admits that season ticket sales were down on last year, but thinks they did a good job under the current economic conditions. Funny how he doesn't put a figure to the execs, wonder why that i. Duncan Drasdo used the announcement to remind the press that other clubs have sold out, and that the Glazer's have started to drive fans away. Good stuff, keep ramping up that pressure ahead of the next set of finacial statements in October

Rooney likely to start up front on his own as Capello reverts to 4-2-3-1 predicts Jason Burt in the Telegraph.

Robert Peston talks about the recent banking boom and asks what value it has actually been to the wider society. It's pretty obvious he knows what the right answer is.

Obama bids faewell to US involvment in Iraq as the final troops start to pullout, but there is no Bush style talk of mission accomplished.

Simon Jenkins discusses the pullout of American troops from Iraq and comes to the conclusion that they have probably made the world an even more dangerous place for US and British citizens than it was before. And that is before we get to the real tragedy of a far more dangerous and unstable Iraq that has been left for it's citizens to survive in. The lives lost in pursuit of this underwhelming achievement were at a level that surely made this a disastous mistake.
I would add that i still think in the long run Iraq will now gravitate towards an Iranian sphere of an influence. And that was surely the last thing the neo cons intended. All in all it will turn out to have been one major blunder all round.

Hague given full support of prime minster after frank statement denying false rumours about his private life. A bit bizarre this, obviously i don't give a fuck who politicians decide to play hide the sausage with, but the tory rank and file are a different kettle of fish.