Thursday, January 5, 2012

Money, no problem?

Mark Ogden reports that rumours that United can't spend are wide of the mark, the Glazer's have assured Fergie. However Fergie won't buy unless he is convinced they are right for the club long term. I think that it's more likely that he won't spend now because he knows eventually he would have to balance the books. For whatever comes in, player/players would have to go out. Which of course makes the Rooney situation all the more important to keep an eye on. I don't think i'd be too thrilled if i had wrote that article to see the headline attached to it, it's a bit of a credibility killer.

Obviously after the decision to leave Rooney out of the Blackburn game, the spotlight has fallen back on his career, lifestyle and future at United. David McDonnell wonders if Fergie is preparing to cash in on Rooney at the end of the season to release money to continue the rebuilding process. James Lawton is more concerned at the waste of a talent, i think it's fair to say that are a more than a few reds who think that he has never really looked like realising the potential we all thought he had when he was bought.
I would have to count myself into that number, don't get me wrong he is a top player, easily the best player in our squad, but he just has too many ordinary games and when his form deserts him his first touch is so far from what it should be for a top player, it's not true. I always thought there wasn't that much between Rooney and Ronaldo at United but Ronaldo has obviously pushed on. But neither of them approach the genius of Messi and Ronaldo may even be behind Xavi, sure Ronaldo flat track bullies the lesser teams but when it matters the two Barca players turn up and are counted.

Sam Wallace thinks United are dogged by too many problems, the areas of concern for Fergie are pretty widespread. We all know what the problems are and the injury list has just exacerbated them even further. With the squad they have assembled and the players we have lost last season and the injuries we have suffered if City don't win the title this season, there will be questions asked.

The other talking point this week has been who should Fergie put his faith in for the number one jersey with almsot all pundits arguing that Fergie would have to opt for the more experienced Dane Lindegaard. I would have gone along with that before the Blackburn game, but after the disaster he suffered at the weekend i would have stuck with De Gea for the barcode clash for fear of affecting his confidence. As it is it didn't really matter, neither goalie would have saved the first two crucial goals. But now he has gone for Lindegaard i hope he sticks with him for the next few games. With the chopping and changing we are having to do amongst the back four we could at least continue stick with the same keeper.

Ian Ladyman writes that Fergie claims that Chelsea won't do business with a title rival during the transfer window aftert the reports that United are after Lampard. Reading t'internet forums it would seem that there is something in this though. Given our crappy finances and the state of the current squad i have to admit that i would welcome his signing if we could prise him from Stamford bridge. One thing he would bring to the squad that we sadly lack is goals from midfield.

Robbie Brady joins Tunnicliffe in spending the rest of the season in his Brady's case with Hull City on loan, He got some rave reviews earlier in the season, things seem to have quietened down over the last couple of months. I have to admit i have never seen a future Unted first teamer in him, but then again when Cleverley first went on loan to Leicester City i would have said the same.
Brady could be joined by Josh King at Hull City apparently after his injury struck time at Borussia Monchengladbach. I was always excited by King, he looked a real prospect, so this looks like a good move for him.

Liverpool are not winning friends in there bizarre behaviour after Suarez was found guilty and banned for eight games, King Kenny was on top form after their abysmal surrender at the boo camp on Tuesday night.
Martin Samuel wonders what on earth Liverpool football club are playing at, doesn 't John Henry realise the damage the club are inflicting on themselves and even on his own reputation in the States.

Maurice Glasman has a big piece in the New Statesman this week in which he advises Ed Miliband to seize the initiative whilst being less than glowing about his and the Labour parties performance. It has made big waves in the Westminster village, Paul Waugh wonders how Glasman has ever achieved this so called importance.

Why the Hungarian crisis is so alarming, Hitker or Mussolini would have been proud of this. Of course Hungary was on the wrong side during both world wars. Europe can't allow that to happen to a country in the EU, so surely unless all that legislation is rescinded they will have to be threatened with expulsion and if they don't comply kicked out and ostracised. Of course they can always make common cause with Belarus and Putin, i'm sure that would be really popular with the Hungarian people.

Train fare rises always make the news, less so bus fare rises, i'm sure most commuters will notice bus fare rises of up to 20%. Birmingham is one of the big marginal seat area's of the country, this won't do their electroal prospects much good during the next election. Of course most tories won't have the foggiest how hard this will be on ordinary people, most of them still probably regard bus service peivatisation as a rip roaring success. Most of them work in the only city in the country to still have an unprivatised transport system. A real progressive goverment would reverse that, allowing localities to arrange their own transport systems, unfortunately that means we will have a long wait.



Music

Jim Ford - Harlan county: Another lost classic according to Mojo that did nothing when it was brought out, even though the guy was a reasonably successful songwriter. It's absolutley superb, an unusual mix of soul, funk and country. It makes you wonder how it never sold, in a similar way to the Rodriguez album that came out a couple of years back.

Kyle Eastwood - Songs from the chateau: Clint's son is the bass playing leader of this jazz ensemble. And it sounds pretty good, it's a quite funky modern jazz. There's more than a bit of Miles Davis in this piece.

Peter Bruntnell - Black mountain: Country rock along the lines of Ryan Adams, that occasionally sounds a bit Elliott Smith as well. It's a reasonable album, though it doesn't really threaten to match either of those excellent artists.

Shabazz Palaces - Black up: I'm not a massive fan of hip hop but i love this, they're from Seattle but there are the occasional moments that they put me in mind of trip hop Massive Attack.

The Kills - Blood pressures: The latest release from the UK/US duo is a real cracker, they have done some cracking stuff in the past, but some pretty average albums as well. I have read it reviewed as a dirty, sexy album and i'd go along with the dirty part of that.

The young knives - Ornaments from the past: The third proper album from the UK indie outfit continues their path away from the post punk guitar sound of the voices of animals and men album. As with it's predecessor, it pretty good, a few cracking tunes but it doesn't match the excellence of Voices.

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