Manchester United 3-2 Fulham

Well it was entertaining, if not quite in the way, we had hoped when we went in 3-1 at the break. After the dreadful start, conceding in the first couple of minutes United responded pretty well and whilst 3-1 may have flattered us a little, it seemed more a question of how many goals we could rack up for the goal difference rather than would we go onto win.
I was reasonably happy with the side picked, though suprised to see us line up in a straight 4-4-2 and to hear Fergie had said that this will remain our preferred formation. How many blogs were written in the summer discussing 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and the rest, what's the online version of forests cut down for nothing. Gary Neville wrote a pretty good column yesterday, where in previewing the Liverpool v City game he mentioned the evolution of United's defensive tactics during his United career and what he wrote ties in with my thoughts on United's present problems. Basically United back their central defenders to be good enough to defend man on man, the full backs are told to push on and central midfield will not have a holding man. Whilst central midfield may not have a Keane or a Robson, when the back four is so injury prone and changeable we are going to ship in goals whilst we stay with those tactics.
To be brutal ou defence at the moment isn't good enough, Evra is past it, he got skinned again far too easily a couple of times on Saturday. Rafael is not someone you would ever put total trust in to do a defensive job and he is the only real right back we have got. We have a lot of centre halves but they are all injury prone. In fact if Smalling and Jones don't start getting the games they need to improve their game, Fergie might have to be in the market for an experienced centre half next summer. So to my mind our problems are more to do with our defence than the engine room.
In fact if we look at the midfield they played reasonably well at Everton and during the first half on Saturday, they were excellent. I thought Cleverley had a decent game at Goodison and was very good on Saturday. They did fade out of the game a bit too much on Saturday in the second half, but with Anderson in the team, that was no suprise really. The Brazillian's performance spilt opinion, some thought he played well, whilst others just saw the same old, same old. I would be more in the second camp, for him he did okay, but for us that isn't good enough.
Van Persie had a reasonable first full game for the club, you could see he was still feeling his way into the club, he was never quite sure how deep to drop in build up play and how to interact with his team mates. That brilliant equalisng goal must have helped settle any nerves and i thought he got better and better as the game went on.
I thought it was fitting that his fellow summer signing Kagawa got the second goal, he was excellent again, he started alongside Van Persie but as the first half progressed he dropped deeper and was popping up everywhere, working hard into the bargain. With him playing like that, you could see us not getting over run in midfield as much as last season.
When Rafael got the third i had visions of more goals in the second half and an improved goal difference. We had chances to get a third but when De Gea and Vidic had their "misunderstanding" we ended up trying to see the game out for the three points. It wasn't easy as Fulham gave it a real go, and in Dembele they possibly had the best performer on the pitch. I can see why United have been looking at him, he is a good player, he uses the ball well and is hard to knock off the ball, not that i expect United to go in for him.
Rooney's injury was the big downside of the afternoon, though on the upside it will give Van Persie and Kagawa more of a settled run in the team. I'd still be concerned if i was Hernandez, i'm not sure how many starts he is going to see this season. There was a rumour that Nani walked away from the ground when told he wasn't even on the bench. Not really the reaction you're looking for, i'm not sure he can complain too much after his performance on Monday night though.
We all seem to say we are a team in transition every season, but there can be no doubts that we really are this season. To be honest before the season i had a sneaking suspicion we would get that championship trophy back. But after the first two games i can see another roller coaster season, with the highs and lows of last season. As long as we're competing for the title come May, play the type of football seen in the first half on Saturday and don't lose 6-1 at home to City, i can live with that.

Mark Ogden writes that Saturday's initial prognosis of a month out for Rooney was too optimistic and it could be nearer two months out for the forward. He also points out what a big season it is for Rooney, he reckons Van Persie wasn't bought to play alongside him, but to lay down a challenge to the scouser to get his hunger back for the game. If you add Kagawa to that list, that's a replacement for his deep lying role as well. It still wouldn't amaze may to see him leave the club over the next year or two. It's up to him really, a couple of years down the road we could be a real force in Europe again, affairs off the pich notwithstanding, wouldn't he want to be a part of that. 
The Guardian's Jamie Jackson compares Kagawa to goal scoring midfield legends Paul Scholes and Bryan Robson as he writes United won't miss Rooney to the extent we would before the Japanese playmaker was bought. You could see from his first few appearances on the pre-season tour that he was going to be a top player.

The Mail are reporting that Spurs are prepared to swoop on the club to take Anderson and Nani to White hart lane. I'm sure there's a load of reds who would be willing to drive him down there to get rid of Anderson,not quite as many would be glad to see Nani go, but he has more than his share of critics. I'd prefer to keep Nani myself, but wonder whether he will ever add consistency to his game. It seems he has his critics within the club as well, it seemed fairly obvious United have been trying to hawk him to the highest bidder this summer. I'm sure the Glazer's was like to recoup some funds before transfer deadline day now the IPO is out of the way.

The post Everton blues

I couldn't believe some of the doom and gloom after the match on Monday night, yes we didn't play that well, but without being terrible. It's not as if we have that great a record at Goodison in recent years, but who has, unfortunately for Everton, apart from possibly Liverpool. Jonathan Wilson looks at our summer spending and goes back to our lack of midfield enforcer.
I'd love a Bryan Robson or Roy Keane myself, but two points need mentioning, first we haven't played with one since Keane himself left the club and our record over that time hasn't been that bad. Secondly i hear all these names mentioned, such as Tiote and then players such as Schweinsteiger who we're never going to get, are any of these really that good. I think Schweinsteiger is a decent player but a Roy Keane, not for me, and don't even think of comparing him with Bryan Robson.
Let's see where we are around christmas and just as importantly for me how attractive a style of football we're playing. I'll start properly assessing our midfield when they're playing in front of a recognisable back four. One thing i would say about the line up for the first game and i'm fed up saying it, Valencia is not and i'm not sure he ever will be a right back. My worry is that with the options up front, Fergie is going to persist in this experiment with him at right back.

After mentioning out options up top, this Sabotage times piece from Zac Smale ponders the formation United will adpot in order to make sure Robin Van Persie doesn't become Gary Birtles. I don't know if the author ever saw Birtles play, but i'd say the chances of Van Persie becoming a Birtles mark two areclose to zero.
What he could become is Rodney Marsh mark two, is he the luxury buy that unbalances a foward line that wasn't really that much of a problem last season. Looking at Monday night, it could be argued that we got a foretaste of just that problem. I don't buy that, yet anyway, the problem to me was a patently unfit Wayne Rooney spearheading the forward line. In fact if we went into Saturday's game with the same formation, i'd like to see Van Perise in the middle with Kagawa behind him in the hole. I don't think we will see that, it seems to me as i said after the game, Ferie is going to play him back to fitness.

It was good news to see Danny Welbeck sign a new four year contract, playing on the left probably didn't suit him on Monday night, but he still threatened the Everton goal more than Rooney did. I can't be the only one to wonder more about the long term implications of Van Persie's arrival for Wayne Rooney rather than Danny Welbeck.
There's another local lad in Will Keane who will have a great chance of making the break through to the first team squad, touch wood, he comes back from his cruciate injury the same player. One thing Welbeck and Keane will share is being through the ranks playing 4-3-3, if that is the route we will be going back to. For those that think Welbeck was uncomfortable playing wide at Goodison, he played there all the time coming through the youth team, the reserves and even at Sunderland, all be it usually one the right.

It seems Fergie has gone forward mad with the news that we have finally wrapped up the signing of 18 year old Chilean Angelo Henriquez from Universidad. I know diddly squat about him, so there's not much to say, except i hope he can play out wide. It does make me wonder how long Hernandez will stay at the club.


Music
Barry Adamson - I will set you free: Another excellent album the Mancunian ex Magazine bassist. Less left field with more tracks that in a former age that might have made singles.

Cass McCombs - Humour risk: It's took a bit to get around to listening to this, it was worth the wait. Off beat US indie, that veers into alt country almost at times.

Julian Cope - Psychedelic revolution: This is a seriously good album, i can't take the lyrics that seriously, which i don't suppose he'd be glad to hear, but the music is superb.

Neneh Cherry and the thing - The Cherry thing: I love this as well, She's fronting an experimental/free jazz trio that cous mainly on her father's music. The nearest comparison i can think of, would be maybe, Acoustic Ladyland. Serious music that the most will truly hate.

The Walkmen - Heaven: The latest effort from the US indie outfit is chock full of cracking tunes, at times they sound like their influences, but with such strong songs, who cares.

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant corner: I'd never really got Monk before listening to this album as say i love Mingus, but this is indeed brilliant. Reading up this was the album that made his reputation, it deserved to do so.

Everton 1-0 Manchester United

Fuck me, football eh, bloody hell, for the first time in a few years, reds went into the first game with a bit of a spring in our steps, a couple of exciting signings, optimism at the state of things, on the footballing front anyway and then last night's surge back down to earth.
The news that Ferdinand could be out for a month over the weekend, was greeted by me with a bit of a shrug, oh well the defensive injury crisis never ends, but we'll get around it. By 7.45 last night, i'd started to get a little worried, this was a tough fixture and the last thing we needed was for Carrick to have to start at centre half. I don't blame him for the goal, Vidic or Ferdinand himself, may not have got the better of the curly lump who seems to be turning into a nemesis for us. Unlike other reds i don't really rate him as a footballer, but he really seems to have got our number at the moment.
We never really started last night, we suggested a couple of times that we would burst into life at any moment, but it just never happened. I don't think the pre-season will have helped, an international competition and then the olympics, meant the players came back to the club in dribs and drabs. It has been obvious from the couple of friendlies i caught hold of, to see that Rooney was miles of the pace. So i was slightly suprised to see him start last night, i can only surmise that Fergie is going to play him back to fitness. The problem with that is what we saw last night, he just didn't contribute enough, i think it would have been better playing him on the left with Welbeck in the middle.
Another problem was the formation, we haven't really played 4-3-3 since Ronaldo left and it showed last night. We lacked cohesion, not helped by Rooney's lack of fitness, Nani having one of those games and having a midfield who played as if it was the first time they had ever played together, which i'm pretty sure it was. We kept the ball well enough when we had it but never really looked like we were going to damage them.
The one big positive from the night, came from that department though, i'm more convinced than ever, after last night that Kagawa is going to be a massive hit for us. He hit two magnificent through balls in the first half, that unfortunately we couldn't finish off. When the rest of the team get used to his style of play, we'll start to gel and i'm hoping and expecting to see some football more pleasing on the eye than the functional fare we've seen over the last couple of season.
I'm not sure how things will evolve up front, i've never been able to see Valencia in a front three, he's an old fashioned winger at his best in a 4-4-2. Maybe Fergie really is going to presist with him at right back. Van Persie, Rooney and Welbeck can operate all along the front line so they should be able to cope with the system. I'm not convinced about Hernandez though, he was poor last season, his goals not being enough to compensate for his all round game outside the box. He never looks comfortable when he has to drift wide, his crossing isn't the best, to say the least, so i'd say he was the most under pressure.
Evra has been a fading force for a couple of seasons now, and last night didn't offer any sign of an upturn in form. So it was nice to see us sign a left back  at last, we've just got hop he turns out to be the real deal, as i don't know much about him. From what i've read Fergie seems to have developed a thing for left backs who are a touch "out of the box". Buttner certainly seems to be a character.
Not a great night then, but it was a tough opener, the divs lost there last year remember. It hasn't dimmed my excitement though, it just seems it's not going to happen all once. I had visions of the kind of start we had in 2006-7, not so much in results, i didn't expect us to win 5-1 at Goodison, more the kind of free flowing football. It would help our cause if we could keep two centre halves fit at any one time. I'm glad we have Fulham at home on Saturday, remember the last time played them with Carrick at centre half.

Miguel Delaney gives his take on United's capture of Robin Van Persie and how Glazernomics affected the outcome. I take all that on board, i'm pretty cynical myself, but i can't help but be excited about the Dutchman's aririval. What i can't really fathom out is why, i didn't really see the point of our pursuit of him when it was first mooted. Maybe it's just getting one over City for the first time in a bit, if so, that's a liitle bit sad to be honest, but there you go.

I saw Gary Neville singing Tom Cleverley's praises before the game last night, you wouldn't believe how much talent he possess he said. Rob Smyth claims the smart money is on Cleverley justifying the hype, i'm a big fan as i've said before, but let's wait for him to get a run of games under his belt this season before we start bigging him up.

I watched the under 21's start their season with a 1-0 victory at Stoke on Saturday morning, and ended up wondering how many of those players will still be at the club come September. It seems that certain players will go straight to the under 21's even though they are still qualified for the under 18's. Januzaj
is one that will play mainly for the under 21's, he looked a bit special against Aberdeen last week. I saw him play last season, but was a little worried that he despite having a sweet left foot he was a bit one paced. But he seems to have grown a bit and seems to have an acceleration that would serve him well enough in the middle of the park.
Another of last years academy intake who took my eye last year Mats Daehli is also to be eased up into the under 21's. We do have some serious talent coming through the ranks, it will be very interesting watching the youngsters this season. Having said that, Saturday's performance was a little disappointing. They started well, playing superbly for the first 20 minutes or so, scoring a cracking goal through Scott Wooton, but then it all just seemed to peter out. The second half was very drab, but United hung on to take all three points.
I should imagine that at least half of that team will go out on loan, Wooton, Tunicliffe and King went out last season, and you'd imagine they will go out again. Youngsters such as Michael keane, Jesse Lingard and Larnel Cole have all spoken of their keeness to test themselves out on loan. It would have been fascinating to see what Fergie would have done with Will Keane, would he have gone out on loan or stayed and trained with the first team. I can't wait to see him return to fitness.

Weird news story of today for me was the news that George Soros now owns almost 2% of Manchester United, i mean why?

Here we go again

So the pre-season's over, come Monday night we'll be into the new season, the summer always seems to be over in two seconds flat. To be fair it hasn't really felt like that for me this summer. A summer of international football, that for once was reasonably entertaining, cricket and an olympics that the cynic in me will have to admit was also pretty enjoyable.
Once that fucking awful final day of last season finished i just switched any sport off the goggle box, and left the sports pages alone. And as unwelcome as Chelski's champions league win was, at least it meant it didn't take long for City's title win to be yesterday's fish and chip wrapping paper.
England's performance in the European championship were as bad as ever, the difference between the world cup in South Africa under Capello and England's achievement in getting to the last eight was largely down to luck and a happier atmosphere in the squad. As for tactics or an ability to keep the ball, it was deja vu.
Wednesday's victory over Italy, even if Italy played a weaker team showed the folly of leaving Carrick at home and how England were probably affected as much as England by Cleverley's injury plagued season. At least Welbeck did himself no harm on the European stage.
As for us, the more i look at our pre-season, the players already in and todays addition of Van Persie, the more i am pretty content with the squad and the more i'm looking foward to the season ahead. I know we've all banged on about the need for midfield reinforcement, me included, but with fingers crossed over injuries, it looks stronger than it has for a while. It will definitely be strong enough to see us attempt to reclaim the premier league title form the berties, and there's no reason to believe it won't be tight again. I would have liked a left back, Barca have bought a gem in Alba, but other than that we should be stronger than last season at the back with Vidic back and with De Gea having a season under his belt at the club.
As for the games that we seem to struggle in our domestic games, against City and our trips to Anfield, where we have been abysmal in performance and in results over recent season's, if lessons are learnt tactically, there's every reason to go into those games with a bit more belief. Fergie admitted he took the qualifying stages of Europe too lightly last season, so it will be interesting to see ho we fare this year in Europe. I'm trusting given the players bought, a rigid 4-4-2 will go out of the window to a 4-2-3-1 or some variation of 4-3-3. Kagawa will probably turn out to be a more important signing than Van Persie, he looks like he will be a top draw player and make us less predictable.
I'll admit i was sceptical all round about us going for Van Persie, i couldn't see why we would go for a forward, even a top rate one, given the need for strengthning in other areas, but if our summer transfer dealings are done i'd be content with it. What we seem to have now is a bit more strength in depth and a lot more options, both in personnel and tactcial variety. Red Iss better watch out because tinkerbell will be back in a big way this season. I'm not sure how Van Persie will be used but agree with Andy Mitten that his signing is a challenge to Wayne Rooney in more ways than one. Let's hope he rises to it, he may have been prolific in front of goal since Ronaldo went, but his actual level of performance over the last couple of seasons has been so so really.
Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister both see Van Persie's move to United providing the divisions centre backs with sleepless nights thinking about how they will cope with a formidable United spearhead. Mark Ogden sees that possibility but also ponders Rooney's inability to gell in any forward combination over recent seasons. There's something in that, though i thought he linked up well with Tevez and looked good behind Hernandez in the Mexican's excellent first season at the club.
The other worry for some is how the Dutchman's arrival will affect Welbeck and Hernandez's progress at the club. Now Welbeck's future is sorted i don't have any worries that he will thrive and meet the challenge. I can't really say the same about Hernandez, even after a summer off, at Fergie's insistence, he hasn't shook any trees in pre-season, his first touch and passing ability just doesn't really seem to improve. I'm not saying i expect him to go, as the tabloids have alleged, but if a big enough bid comes in for him eventually, it wouldn't amaze me if United accepted a bid. If Will Keane hadn't have suffered that bad injury it would have been interesting to see what Fergie would have done with him.

It had been a pretty depressing month, before this morale boosting move and as David Conn argues in the Guardian can't hide the fact that our glorious owners are steadily assett stripping our club. Jim White argues that if our floatation price sinks as many anaylysts have predicted, the Glazer's will be in no hurry to sell the club off. That's contrary to others who have argued that if the price starts to go south at a rate of knots, that is excatly when they will bow out before United loses all value. After the price sinking below the $14 valuation for the first time today, the weeks and months ahead should give us an idea. The loathsome David Gill argues United are in a league of their own, true enough, keeping the Glazer's in the lifestyle they are accustomed to, clinging onto hopefully?

A decent first day at the deciding test match at Lords, though South Africa will be reasonaly happy with their score after being 121-5. After all the shit eminating around Pietersen i'd love England to square the series, they have given themselves a chance. I'm not that nationalistic but i would go along with Peter Obornes analysis of the furore, it doesn't really sit right with me either, that South Africans should want to come to this country and play for England. If you were born in a cricket mad country such as South Africa, why on earth would you want to play for England. As for Pietersen, as Bob Willis said on Sky the other night, he has destroyed almost every changing room he has been involved in, to the extent that his kit bag was thrown out of the changing room at his first English county Notts. As devastating as he can occasionally be, i wouldn't cry if he never played for England again.

The IPO stalls

The Glazer family launched its IPO on Wall street in a scene resembling a sketch from the league of gentlemen, one look at their ugly mushes would scare investors off, never mind their flawed business model. As the Economist put it, compared with this, Michael Glazer's facial hair seems attractive.

Andersred lays out the reasons why the Glazer's blatant personal money grab, won't benefit Manchester United for the next two years. It won't really change that much after that will it, but then, do they really care. Given the universal slating the IPO received from the world's press it was no suprise to see the IPO set below the rate they'd hoped at $14, hopefully it's set to slide towards $10 or even below. Whilst Fergie may or may not have been economical with the actualite, when he protested that he wouldn't benefit financially from the IPO, it was noticeable that Gill blustered yesterday, without actually denying that he would, what a slimeball.


Reading Michael Moritz again in this Daily beast article, i don't think MUST and the anti-Glazer cause has a better advocate. In fact he makes a brilliant case against leveraged buy outs and socially useless finacial system as described by Adair Turner a few years back in general.

Back to the issue we all wish we could concentrate on, the football. If anybody thought a midfield signing was going to appear out of the blue, the news Paul Scholes hasn't travelled to Hannover, should disabuse such wishful thinking. I suppose you could never wrap Paul Scholes in cotton wool, but Fergie would probably love to.
Ferdinand told the official site how great it was for the younger lads to play and train with the maestro on the recent pre-season tour. The man himself wants United to match the standards set by City who he thinks played the best football last season and deserved the title.
I don't think there is that much between the squads, if we can actually stay reasonably injury free. I'll say it, getting Vidic back is like signing a new player and i like the look of our two signings so far, Powell looks very promising and i can see Kagawa being a contender fro player of the season, two footed, vision, goals, i think he will be the complete package.
Despite being owned by the Adams family of the financial world i still fancy us to be in the hunt for trophies and have a sneaking feeling that we will regain the title from our six fingered cousins across town.

Will Hutton reviews three books exploring the alternative's to a successful future economic policy for the country and for the global economy. I will be reading Larry Elliott and Dan Atkinson's latest book, he's not really a radical thinker, his is answer is classic post war social democracy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, that was a far more prosperous time for the mass of the population at large as opposed to the top 10% to 1% of today.But you can never just rewind the clock, the future will hopefully mix the best bits of the 45-75 era with the more socially liberal era since and look at the ideas exponded by the Skidelsky's.
Jonathan Portes asks which macro-economists are worth listening to, and argues that those that are able to demonstrate testable predictions, based on data and then to have been proved right after the event.
Anatloe Kaletsky joins in with Simon Jenkins long standing argument that instead of using quantitive easing to improve bank balance sheets, it should be used for the people instead. Of course it would be more socially just, would probably work, short term anyway, but with Mervyn King as bank of England and Gideon the chancellor, pigs will fly before this idea takes off.

Howard Jacobson salutes the Australian art critic Robert Hughes who passed away last week, i haven't read any of his book, but i have seen some of his TV work which i loved. I will have to get around to reading the Fatal shore, that really does sound like a must read book.

The brilliant Julia Davis has a new series airing on TV, trouble is it's on Sky Atlantic, and i haven't got that. Oh well i suppose we'll have to find a way around that.

United in Scandanavia

United's made a first pre-season visit to red mad Scandanavia in a years and came away unbeaten, but goalless as well. With just a couple more games to go it's not too easy to know what to expect at Goodison park on Monday 19th. I thought United played pretty well against Valengra and should have won, but couldn't concert superiority and chances into goals.
The better test was the Barca game, and i suppose we came through that decently enough. I was a bit worried when i saw the team and the formation played, i'm not convinced we'll ever get the better of Barca playing 4-4-2. And especially if Anderson is one of the two in the centre of the pitch.
The first five minutes brought back bad memories as United sat back unable to get the ball, it was Wembley all over again. But slowly United got into it, and looked as threatening as the Catalan's going foward. It was great to see Scholes spraying it around sublimely, but the comparison between the 38 year old and the man next to him was embarrassing. Carrick and Scholes badly need Cleverley to stay fit this season, if we are going to stay with this system.

I think we all thought that this season might see us slightly alter our tactical approach this season after some of the maulings we have received in Europe recently, but it's not looking that way so far. I'm not convinced about starting Valencia starting at right back, as dangerous as it allows us to be going forward, he isn't the best defender as was shown when we were ripped completely open twice down the right hand side in the first half, but Barca were unable to profit either time. It's a good option when we are chasing a game and really going for it.
Nani was at his frustraing best as Crerand coined it, but all that frustration aside, when he's at it, he can open up the best defence's. Rooney is a concern, forget the penalty miss, he was miles off the pace in both games, he really does seem to need longer to reach match fitness, given his age than seems reasonable. The only forward who seems in touch and looking good for the start of the season is the new signing Kagawa, if we are going to call him a forward that is.
It was nice to see Michael Keane get a start in Norway, and given he was played out of position at left back, i thought he did reasonably well. One thing i liked about his performance was the lack of nerves he showed and his ability to play his natural game, he got in goal scoring opportunities a couple of times and wasn't afraid to take his man on. I'm coming to the conclusion that both the Keane brothers will eventually be first team squad regulars for Manchester United eventually.

Talking of Van Persie before, makes me wonder what will happen to brother Will when he recovers from his cruciate injury. Will there be suitors to take a young lad with no pre-season on loan for the second half of the season. And it definitely makes me wonder about the season after, if, big if again mind, the Dutchman is prised away from the gunners, that would leave us with a strikeforce of Rooney, Van Persie, Welbeck, Hernandez and Will Keane. That seems one to many in my eyes. 

Music
Bass Clef - Reeling skullways: This outfit don't seem to make any headlines or threaten the mainstream, but they don't half hit the spot for me. The classed as drum and bass, but there more than that for me.

Hot chip - In our heads: The critics darlings, each of there efforts have been loved by the crtics, and whilst i have liked the two albums preceeding this, i haven't thought they were quite as good as the reviews they received. This album is their best effort to date for me, absolutely no fillers on this.

Regina Spektor -  What we saw from the cheap seats: A bit of a marmite artist, you either love her leftfield quirkiness or you don't. I can't stand marmite but i like Regina Spektor and this is another cracking album.

Ruben Blades and Willie Colon -Siembra: If you'd have told me i'd like salsa when i was in my teens, i'd have laughed in your face, but the laugh would have been on me, because here i am now and i just love that hypnotic groove. This is supposedly one of it's classic discs and it is superb.

The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet: Completely different fair this, prog meets punk from the duo formerly in the recently reformed At the drive in. It's good without being anywhere near their best.

The soundtrack of their lives - Throw it to the universe: The Swede's last album isn't a bad way to go out, chock full of cracking tunes as ever. The more you listen the better it gets.

The gimps, is the end nigh ?

Fergie backs the wrong horse in Glazer affair, scandalous barely covers this attempted IPO. It was backing the wrong horse, the Rock of Gibraltar and Coolmore horse spunk bollocks, where this whole sorry affair started. Fergie was way out of his depth in the world of big money that time as well. Jim White has been fairly soft on him in that blog, if the Glazer's are forced to sell up, i doubt the rest of the press corps will be son lenient with him, a few knives may well be being sharpened as we speak.

It's been a bizarre week, firstly the announcement of GM's global marketing chief had been unceremoniously sacked, with rumours it had something to do with a deal clinched with United. Hours later United announced a new seven year shirt sponsorship deal with GM starting in 2015, with the current deal still two years outstanding. The next day it was reported he had been sacked for negotiating too generous a deal with United.

All the while the terms of the IPO were slowly being revealed to a United support versed in fearing the worst where our dispicable owners are concerned. Anger over the decision to award $150 million to Malcolm Glazer's descendants, instead of using the deal to remove a hefty chunk of burdensome debt, confirmed our worst fears. And as ever with every panicked financial manouevre to refinance the debt, more embarrasing details popped up.
The ray of sunshine on the horizon is the hope that the underwriters decide that they can't underwrite the IPO. This is where MUST and the hordes of Anti-Glazer protestsare now being directed over the next couple of weeks. Given the risible press the proposed IPO has received since the listing was announced on Monday, they have had a great start. Fantasy football, potential for scandal, a terrible investment, just google Manchester United IPO, MUST couldn't buy such good publicity for the cause.
It seems to be as unpopular over the pond in the states as it has been over here, needless to say that's highly encouraging. It's hard to get your hopes up to much, after everything that has happened since that sorry day they gained control, but it's fingers crossed time, and time to get those e-mails sent and hope that good triumph's over evil.