Nasri a no, but youngsters could step up to the plate?

Fergie sounds like he has given up on his attempts to prise Sami Nasri away from the emirates in a press conference held not long after the squad arrived in the States, though some journo's have tried to interpret this as part of Fergie mind games. All the press talk and all the rumour was that it would be one of Nasri or Sneijder and that conference seemd to confirm that this was the case. It would seem from the weekend's Modric outburst that Chelsea will be the Croatian's destination, which is a shame because he was the player i would have liked, and he will obviously make Chelsea a better team.
Bryan Robson will be disappointed if the attempt to buy Nasri does fall through as he was the one that he fancied most to do a job at Old traffoed out of the players we have been linked with.
As for United i still don't see Sneijder leaving Inter for less money at United and don't really see where he would have fitted into the scheme of things at United. So if we have given up on Nasri because either Arsenal won't let him go or he will go elsewhere, it looks like the one position that needed addressing in the summer, won't be again.
Paul Scholes and Fergie seem to hint that the answer could well already be at the club with Fergie being quoted as saying that a youngster may come through to be the answer. Paul Scholes talks about last years youth cup winning team and thinks they are probably the best crop of youngsters to have come through since his 92 squad that has took us through so many years. He seems to think that they will be able to hand the physical side of the job and could enter the equation over the next two seasons. I hope he is right, but that does mean we would have to struggle along with a sub standard central midfieled for a while longer if that is the course Fergie follows.

The newly talkative Paul Scholes was at it again over the weekend giving us his thoughts on why England have failed so dismally over the years. He seems to have had a lot of time for Glen Hoddle as an England manager and blasts English players for being too selfish and compares them to the current Barca line up.
Which is why the next manager should discard the current failed lot and start to shape a new team and should be allowed to experiment in the knowledge that they won't be winning any competitions any time soon anyway so he may as well build a new team that can grow together as the Germans did under Klinsman. Of course i don't expect either the FA or our national press to accept that this is the way forward, it's too sensible and too honest about where we are as an international footballing nation.

One of the players that should be involved in that process would be Chris Smalling who is a cert to fill Rio Ferdinand's boots for United and England and United have shown how much faith they have in the youngster by awarding him a new five year contract.
In our excitement towards the end of season with the goals of Hernandez Smalling's brillaint first season tended to get overlooked, but it didn't deserve to be, they were two brilliant signings and with the addition of Jones the centre back position looks to be as strong in depth as it has ever been.
The under 21 tournament hopefully had five United youngsters who will carry the clubs high expectations lightly, they all look like they have the right character for the club. This North America tour will be worth watching if they get a couple of outings later in the tour. Clevrley and Welbeck both did well last season. It's also where we first started to think we may have unearthed a player in Hernandez. The Telegraph reckon he will be the next youngster to have his contract improved, again it will be deserved, well the lenght of it anyway, i don't want to start going on about how much footballers earn again.

Bobby Charlton declares Old trafford's heritage is too important for Manchester United to cop City's example with their £400 million stadium deal which has upset a lot of European clubs as well as Arsenal and Liverpool.
I can't believe that the Glazer's wouldn't do this if they thought they would get more money and could get away with it. But as far as i'm aware it doesn't fit in with their current strategy. Would Charlton come out against it if they changed their mind?

Graham Hunter looks at the two clubs chasing Barca and whilst he thinks it is possibly an impossible task, he is none too impressed by the way Real Madrid are going about it. The grass isn't always greeneris it Ronnie.

Investigative journalist Nick Davies, the man who has fearlessly exposed the wrongdoings of the Murdoch empire and the rest of the pressif you have read his brilliant book Flat earth news explains how the phone hacking scandal has escalated.


Murdoch biographer Michael Wolf explains why News Corp would do well not to keep it in the family. This couldn't have happened to a nicer lot, my heart doesn't bleed. Charles Moore claims that the spell is broken for the media sorcerer with a touch of evil.
Robert Fisk describes his experience of working for Murdoch whilst at the Times in the early part of his career. Paul Mason's view is that this shows once again that the network has beaten the hierarchy, though he is talking about the British establishment or what passed for it as for much as the possible defeat of Murdoch.
The Economist's Bagehot was as impressed and unimpressed with Cameron's performance on Friday morning as most other commentators. They all thought he handled the first part well but looked very unconvincing when asked to explain his decision to appoint Andy Coulson onto his staff. Peter Oborne thinks that Cameron hasn't escaped the sewer yet and after yesterday's non appearance in the commons he still hasn't. I notice fellow right wing columnists having sly digs at Oborne at times, maybe correctly poiting out his lack of consistency. He has been pretty consistent on the malign influence of Murdoch almost alone in the right wing press so i think he won't be worrying too much what his fellow tory hacks think about him.
Iain Martin, not a fan of Cameron argues that this is a disaster for Cameron and it's all his own fault and will last for the rest of this government's term, if not longer. Henry Porter must feel vindicated as he bemoans the fact that over three decades no one dared the perversion by and for Rupert Murdoch. Although all Murdoch haters must welcome the current Labour stance, if they think we have forgotten the way Blair and the last government bent over backwards to give Murdoch everything he wanted, think again.

Left foot forward argues that we mustn't forget the billions in tax that the amoral Murdoch empire has escaped paying whilst having the British establishment in its back pocket. 

Daniel Sift celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century Joseph Heller's Catch 22. I'm not much of a reader of fiction but i have read that and absolutely loved it.

Armando Iannuci interviewed in the Guardian explains the importance of being online and also branching out from the BBC.

The United states of America, classic 60's

Changing of the guard

It seems that Wes Brown and John O'Shea have decided that Brucie's Sunderland is the club for them after all as it looks like both  of them have been having medicals before they take the plunge and leave United. They have had their detractors but they have both been great servants to the club.
What can be said about their careers at United is that neither ever really lived up to the rich promise they had showed as youngsters. In Brown's case he never really got over the injuries he received early on in his career, in fact it could be said he has done well to have had such an excellent career with the club. The highlight to Wes Brown's United career was easily the 2008 season when he made the right back position his own with a rare injury free season that ended with that brilliant night in Moscow.
O'Shea has been an outstanding utility player for the club, as Hansen once said, this type of player is invaluable to a club and was the type of player that most of our rivals lacked. The type of player who could come in and do a job. His best position was always full back, though he did a reasonable job when asked to fill in, in the middle of the park, your heart sank when you saw him starting their as was never a sign of attacking intent.
Both players i am sure will always get a teriffic reception when they come back as Sunderland players. This isn't meant to be nasty but i hope that Brucie doesn't land Gibson because having sold Henderson, even though i don't rate him too highly, if he replaces him with Gibson i'm sure the locals will not take long to think, what the fuck. If Gibson is a premier league player it's at a lower level than Sunderland are trying to achieve. As a youth player i always thought Gibson had a chance, but he just doesn't have that little bit extra that is needed to convert youthful promise into the real deal. He was never going to replace Scholes but i thought he could be a Lampard type scoring midfielder. I was wildly off the mark i'm afraid.

Stuart Mathieson comments on the erosion of home based talent in the squad with the departure of three home grown talents, added to retirements of Scholes and Giggs last season. I don't think the picture is nearly as bad as he makes out. As points out towards the end of the piece we have Cleverley and Welbeck coming back, and i expect them two to develop into decent squad players at the very least. Add Tunnicliffe and Morrison to that and maybe even Will Keane and things could look very different i three to four years time.
It's to be hoped that will be the case anyway as that nucleus of players were a big big part of the Manchester United renaissance under Alex Ferguson. I think it was Wenger that once said that it was them that gave us the edge of our rivals. And that was a great picture.

As the summer transfer window speculation continues Rene Meulensteen muddies the waters with glowing praise for Inter's Dutch goalscoring midfield ace Wesley Sneijder. He could have only done that with the blessing of the boss, which begs the question what are they up to, was there an unlterior motive. I still  can't see that happening for a myriad of reasons even though Paul Harward of the Guardian also tweeted this morning that Sneijder was our top target. The news that Nasri is to tell Wenger he wants to leave leads me to believe that he is the man we either really want or have decided is the most realistic option. The Guardian have reported that we have already got a £20 million bid on the table that Arsenal have rejected as they want £25 million. That is a lot of money for a man about to enter the last year of his contract. If they weren't about to lose Fabregas as well it would probably be a decent bit of business for them. Wenger and Arsenal have a lot of problems and a lot on their plate and i have no idea how this is going to end.

Paul Scholes has become pretty opinionated since his retirement, he obviously doesn't have a lot of time for Wenger or his methods. You can't argue with the view expressed though, Arsenal could very well be scrapping for fourth spot and i mean scrapping. Maybe it's payback time for Wenger insinuating that the ginger prince was dirty, something it's becoming increasingly clear he isn't too fond off.

At long last the redevelopment of Lancashire C.C.C looks like it can go ahead as they finally defeat Derwent in the courts. The biggest day in the clubs history was how Jim Cumbes described it. I walked down Matt Busby way last night and thenew floodlights were on for some reason and it has to be said they look tremendous. Great news even if i can't stand the plans i would sooner have an ugly looking stadium than no more test match cricket in Manchester.
How the cricket authorities could think that not having test match cricket could be good for the long term future of the game is another thing.

Peter Oborne has gone to town in his stinging attack on the British establishment and it's craven worship of the dirty digger over the last twenty four hours. In the Telegraph this morning he has really slaughtered David Cameron and described his position as being in the sewer. I find it really fascinating that Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger had a private meeting with the tory leader and told him what was likely to come out Andy Coulson and that Cameron still went ahead and appointed the ex Murdoch man. He obviously felt an ex Murdoch man would be untouchable, happily he was wrong. As for Clegg, as much as i would like to say everything he touches turns to shit, i'm not too sure too much blame can be attached to him over this, as far as we know anyway. Vince Cable and his war on the Murdoch empire looks overwhelmingly vindicated, a pity about the stupidity of the Telegraph and their sting. Did that turn out all for the best though?
US online magazine Slate gives praise where that praise is well and truly due as it describes Nick Davies of the Guardian as Murdoch's Captain Ahab as they finally spear the media mogul. They haven't quite finished him off yet, hopefully that day isn't too far away.
Matthew Norman wrote in Wednesday's Independent that now as the moment to stop Murdoch, he was totally right of course but this thing has got a momentum all of it's own. I can't see how the government will possibly allow the BSkyB takeover now or even how BSyb would even now consider being contaminated by the News of the world brand.
Wapping is in turmoil as hacking saga hits Murdoch where it hurts and David Allen Green describes News international's position as that of the bully being bullied.
It is definitely not looking very good for Andy Coulson, he seems to be the victim that News international are trying to offer up as a sacrificial lamb. This piece of blatant perjury on his own could be enough to send him down. It aint good news for Cameron either, what does this say for his judgement. Does he take it lying down and go quietly or very noisily taking the ship with him is what remains to be seen.