Angel Di Maria is a good signing, I was never quite sold on him as a winger, though given the paucity of talent we have out wide, he is far better than what we have at the club at the moment in that position. But I do like him a lot when he plays more centrally, and that's centrally as in midfield, not a number ten. He's top class, and not, yet another number ten, given the state of the squad at present we can't have enough top class players coming in.
We've got to hope that he won't be the end of the signings though, we are crying out for either a defensively minded central midfielder or a dynamic box to box version. We could probably do with another centre back as well, if were going to persevere with a back three.
The question then though is, do you go for what's available, or do you wait for the right man to become available, Strootman say. Given the mediocrity of the present squad and the standard of most of our signings over the last five seasons, I wouldn't be splurging top dollar for someone like Blind of Ajax. I like the look of Vidal, and given where we are, he would be worth the risk, given your going to get injuries through a season, you'd imagine that we will go into a fair few of the big games with only one of Carrick or Hererra. If that remains the case, we will be struggling to get back into that top champions league spot come May with that engine room.
So the question for the Glazers would then be, how much is champions league qualification to them, because if it is vital, and it surely is, busting a gut to get Vidal, even if he only played in half our games would seem like a no brainer to me. If they could live for one more season without it, maybe waiting for Strootman to recover from his injury at Roma would be the way Van Gaal would want to go. Both options involve risk, they should have gone when Fergie left, shouldn't they.


Anthony Joseph - Time: I didn't know anything about him until I read an aproving review of this album, it's a fair record, sort of along the lines a late era Gil-Scott Heron.

Bo Ningen - III: I loved this frenzied psych/punk affair from the Japanese band that formed in the UK.

Papercuts - Life among the savages: This took me a few listens to win me round, but i ended up warming into it's dreamy indie/pop charm.

Pink Mountaintops - Get Back: Canadian indie super group, they do like these combinations, The New Pornographers are another, and just like that band Pink Mountaintops more than deliver the goods. There seemed to be a UK influenced indie to a few tunes on it that seemed a little unusual, good album though.

Polar Bear - In each and every one: I absolutely loved their last album Peepers, this album has seem them move on to a more avant garde electronica phase, i like it, it has enough good moments on it to enable me to say that, but it's not as successful as that last album.

Ratking - So it goes: Left field hip hop from the States, has it's moments, but no real highlights.

Woods - With light and with love: I'm new to this US indie band who are fairly prolific, but if this is the standard set on their previous work, i better go and discover their back catalogue, it's an excellent album.