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.

United announce Kagawa signing

I'm not sure why you'd announce a signing before you have got the player to sign on the dotted lines and have shook hands on it to be honest. If he was involved in a car accident between now and the actual signing would United really go through with the deal. Same goes for Chelsea with Hazard and the Hulk signings. I suppose in the case of United, the Glazer's are desperate to allay the impression that we are skint and can't compete, especially a few days before the end of the season ticket renewal date. Maybe even more so, if take up has been slow as Fergie's ridiculous video has led the rumour mongers to believe.
As to the player himself, time will tell, but the signs are good, he may not be a central midfield dynamo, but he brings a little more creativity and hopefully will bring more goals to take a little more of the goal scoring burden away from Rooney's shoulder's. I don't really see him fitting into a 4-4-2 as i have said before, so it will be interesting to watch how our tactics evolve next season. I hope Cleverley can get over his injury problems next term as i can see him and Kagawa combinging well. I hope that our transfer dealings don't stop at Kagawa and the hoped for signing of Powell, but i wouldn't be too downcast if that is it for the summer.
As much as i, along with almost every red with a pair of eyes has beomoaned the lack of recruitment in central idfield over the last 3 years, if you pushed me for where a further priority signing, it would have to be a new left back. It isn't looking likely at the moment though, if Everton are really asking £20 million for Baines, it won't be happening. As for United's supposed interest in Valencia's left back Alba, if Barca are in for him, forget it, he won't be choosing us over the Catalans.

Maybe we will find we have got one over Chelsea if Hazard turns out not the be the new Ronaldo, some have made him out to be. He was pretty underwhelming on Saturday in that mind numbing friendly on Saturday for Belguim. To be fair to the guy, he was played totally out of position up front on his own, so it's far too easily to say. In today's papers he has claimed that it was Abramovitch that persuaded him to opt for Stamford bridge, what does that say about him. A Russian oligarch famous throughout football for knowing the first thing about the sport impressed him more than Alex Ferguson, one of the greatest managers ever.
The only other talking point of that game for me was i was hoping Danny Welbeck would get some time with Rooney behind him, but it wasn't to be. Welbeck took his goal superbly, how anybody could pick Carroll ahead of him is totally beyond me, but i just have a feeling that Carroll will start against France.

Will Hutton on form in the Observer, the facts are clear, this cruel austerity experiment has failed, world leaders are paralysed by their dogma. Meanwhile G7 wrold finace leaders are to meet in a sign of heigthened global alarm at the crisis. Ambrose Evans- Pritchard reports of worries of a global slump as growth of the world money supply drops. Ha-Joon Chang goes back in time and argues that history shows that austerity has never worked, slashing budgets has always led to recession. The time has come to choose what sort of society we really want.
Paul Krugman who has been touring Britain promoting his latest book, tells Decca Aitkenhead, he is tired of being Cassandra, he'd like to win for once.
George Soros argues that Europe's future is not up to the Bundesbank.

Sorry for being so predictable

Late spring clean for United?

Stuart Mathieson sees a summer clear out of United's squad, with a shake up of the playing staff. We have already released Owen and Kuszczak, Berbatov seems almost certain to join them, though how much United will get for him seems a moot point.
I don't think anybody expects Paul Pogba to be still at the club come pre-season training, though who knows for sure, the way that saga has dragged on. I won't lose much sleep if he swicthes to Juve myself, he could still turn out to be the player some see him developing into, but as far as i'm concerned he has already shown he hasn't got the character that we want to see in a Manchester United player.

The sun argue that Facebook share flop is bad new for the Glazer's proposed far east IPO share floatation as companies who over value their company, as the Glazer's patently had at £2 million and that was before the present market uncertainty, will struggle.
Forget fantasy football, the Star seem have to have started a summer fantasy transfer competition, as if we are going to be able to lay out £30 million for Modric. I'm fairly sure if we had been successful in our pursuit of Hazard, Nani would have been on his way out to balance the books. United have been getting their excuses into the papers whilst Chelski have been splashing the cash. To be fair to United, if those the figures that have been quoted are correct, United do have a case. I rate Modric as a decent player, but i don't have him down as top notch, i wouldn't want us blowing £30 million on him. As for the others, silly money again.

Losing councillors by the thousands, now the Indy reports the lib dems are losing members, as one fifth of the parties activists quit across the country. Just as bad, remaining members are refusing go out and campaign for the party, presumably in disgust at the rightward drift the party has took before and whilst joining the tories in coalition.
Polly Toynbee tells the Lib dems left wing, it's now or never, it's time to wield the knife. She can be guilty of misreading the political mood, but if a split in the Lib dem ranks is to happen, now seems to be the time it would happen. I'm not sure whether that would be in the best interests of the party though, obviously it would be in the best interests of the country. If Cable and the left of the party stick it out, when the seemingly inevitable wipe out happens at the next election, the left will surely take the party back with the David Laws and his ilk crossing the floor to the natural base, the tory party.  The Torygraph are also reporting contacts at senior level between Li dems and the Labour party, maybe something is going to happen.
Toynbee is right that there will never be a better time to engineer the parties exit from the coaltion. An economic ploicy that is destroying the economy, a prime minister throwing Warsi to the dogs but keeping the equally incompetent Hunt in place as a human shield, never mind judgement what about morals. Even worse maybe it's politically incompetent, i think it was Iain Martin who tweeted last night that this was O' Level politics.
 

Manchester a "hazard" free zone

So the circus isn't coming to this particular town, it's the rent boys for Belgian international Eden Hazard. I honestly don't know what to think about this whole episode. Firstly i haven't actually seen him play, i'm not alone there, i would venture to guess. It's hard to get too worked up one way or another about a player about whom you have heard so much, but seen so little.
Next what United really need is a central midfield player to take replace Scholes when he finally calls it a day, presumably at the end of next season. According to all i have read, he has played mostly out wide, but has told his suitors that he sees his future as a classic number ten orchestrating play in the hole. I'm not arguing we shouldn't be looking to strengthen all over the pitch, but when your'e working on Glazernomics, you have to prioritise. We already have Rooney to play in the hole, though not much back up, i'll admit i'm not a fan of Young in that position. But as we saw last season we are embarrrasingly low on mumbers and quality in the engine room of the pitch.
Some reds have wondered if we were ever really in for him at all or if it was all a ploy to keep fans happy whilst season ticket renewal time is in progress. I think we were probably genuinely interested in him, whether we ever really had a chance of landing him, is of course a completely different question. The circus that increasingly surrounded the drawn out saga, didn't reflect well on the player and his insistence that he would move for footballing reasons have tunred out to be totally laughable. Never mind the £6 million to his agent, and the eye watering salary for an unproven talent, going to a club without a manager and an owner known for virtually picking the team beggars belief. I don't think i'm alone in thinking that whilst he may have turned out to have been a class player for our club, it's hard to believe he was the type of individual that the Stretford end, as was, would have took to its heart. 
Still it's hard to get away from the signals this sends out to the world of football about where Manchester United stand stand as clubs attractive to the world's best football talent, and it is firmly on the second tier, alongside Arsenal, if anybody, i suppose. And we all know there is only one reason we have slipped from the top table. If the debt was removed we would be competitive with the oil money and the La Liga two, even if Manchester as a city would still probably mean we would never attract the cream of latin American talent. That's why yesterday's events still had the power to depress.


It seems we have Kagawa's signature all but wrapped up, though in the present circumstances, i'll believe that when i see it. I have seen a little of him and he looks like he will be at the very least a decent squad player. My only problem with that signature is i can't see him working in a 4-4-2 formation, he seems the perfect fit in a 4-3-3 formation as the central midfield player given most licence to get foward.
I saw Nick Powell, the 18 year old the media are saying will sign for us for £4 million playing at Wembley for Crewe in the play offs and he looked reasonably promising. Going off that performance he looked more of a classic number ten himself, than the midfield man some papers had described him as. The goal he scored was absolutely fanatastic and he showed a reasonable amount of vision and skill. It will be interesting to see what Fergie does with him next season, if we do end up getting his name on the dotted line. For all his promise he didn't look first team squad material yet. 

Chatter box Dave Whelan managed to hit the headlines again last week, claiming that after Ferguson's nose bleed episode that next season would be his last at the club. I have no idea whether he's on the money or not, but i'm sure that it was of more importance to Ferge himself and to the club, than the media have reported. Unsuprisingly and unconvincingly Whelan's words have been dismissed by a key ally, i wonder why the fears were dismissed on that side of the pond.
I have been arguing recently that all this talk of him carrying on for another five years was far too optimistic. Without this warning, i expected two to three years at most. I really can't see a 75 year old man managing in the premier league, never mind managing possibly the biggest club in the world. Of course the timing couldn't be much worse for the gimps. As someone mentioned on one of the United messgaeboards, if the IPO does get off the ground, Fergie health would have to be assessed and made public. For their long term plans to make as much money out of the club as possible, Fergie is absolutely vital.

Ryan Giggs is raring to get 2012-13 going, telling the official site he still feels good. It was notceable how Scholes return ended up meaning less minutes on the pitch for Giggs, i feel both will play more of a back up role next season, injuries permitting that is. Next season will be a biggie for Tom Cleverley, he started last season so promisingly and looked like he would be a shoe in to go to the Euro's, but those injuries cost him and us dear.
We need a injury free season from him next season, just to prove that we can rely on him to be a part of the clubs future. Of course this will probably mean Scholes won't be playing every game as he basically did when he returned from his retirement. With the introduction of Kagawa as well i'm hopeful that we can start next season as well as we did last season. Staying injury free and hopefully having a more settled back four will be the key to success or failure after that.

According to the Mirror Blackburn boss Steve Kean wants to take Keane and Keane to the club to start a new legal firm, there is probably as much chance of that happening as there is of taking them on loan with the instability at the top of that football club. I'm a bit torn over a loan for Will Keane as i think he isn't far of being good enough for the first team squad as our fourth striker. Of course on the other hand he needs to get regular football and acquire the experience that both Welbeck and Cleverley took from their time away from the club on loan.
I'm not sure it's such a wise move for them to go to the same club though. I have got a lot of time for Michael Keane, but i don't think he is as near first team squad standard as his brother. If we are going to send them out on loan i would like to see Will go out to either a top championship club or a premier league team in the bottom half of the table where he would be sure to get plenty of playing time. Will's name has been linked to Stoke, i'm not too thrown on that, i would be looking at Wigan, somebody like that, a team that plays football but don't score enough goals.
I don't think brother Michael is ready for the premier league, it would be interesting to see him in the championship. I have a hunch he could turn into a decent over lapping right back and that would be an easier way for him to go out on loan and get the much needed experince required to get him ready for our first team squad. They are definitely too good to languish in our reserves. I'll be keeping my eye on who else Fergie sends out on loan next season.

Paul Parker draws the reasonable conclusion to last Saturdays narrow victory by England over Norway that England still have a long way to go. I looked at the team selected before the game and expected little and wasn't let down. I was a bit bewildered that the first half was seen as vaguely encouraging as i just saw the same old England who couldn't keep possession for more than five seconds against as poor a side as Norway showed themselves to be.
To see how far away England are away from being a serious proposition in international football at the moment, have a look at the midfield selected for the Spanish squad and compare them to ours, because the disparity is like looking at a team at the top of the premier league and a team relegated from the premier league. One thing is for sure, it won't be pretty watching our national team this summer, neutrals won't be wetting their lips at the thought of watching Gerrard and Parker in midfield with Carroll up front.
They will do well to get to the quarter finals, i supose with a bit of luck and a backs to the wall defensive attitude they could make the semi's, but to be honest English football needs to find out how really poor it is before it can get better. I'd expect Cleverley and Wilshere to be in that squad for the world cup, injuries permitting, but they need more coming through to give that squad some depth. Of course they have lost Smalling and Kyle Walker at the back as well, but the lack of depth in talent is shocking.

Utd after left back

The Mirror report that United are after Leighton Baines, going off twitter this afternoon, i know i know, they are probably bang on the money. He isn't top class, he won't be as good a player as Evra was for us at his best, but we couldn't continure with just one option at left back after Evra's desperately disappointing last two seasons. I expect him to estabish himself as the first choice left back if the deal does go through, i just can't see Evra re-discovering the form that made him one of the best left backs in the world at his best.
But Baines is pretty solid at the back and is probably better going forward as well, who knows we may even see some goals from full back for the first time since Denis Irwin left the club. £12 million seems a bit steep to me though, never mind the £ 15 million supposedly wanted by Everton.
Fergie obviously has doubts in his mind about Fabio being able to fill the role and i really don't see Fryers as United first team material, so we definitely need a left back this summer. Of course in my dreams, a Glazerless United, would be breaking the bank to convince Gareth Blae that his future would be in a red shirt at left back for Manchester United. Back in the real world Baines seems a fair enough option. It would be nice if we could get this all sown up before the Euro's begin.

The Mail reckon United have sealed a deal for the highly rated 18 year old Nick Powell from second division Crewe. The now usual scoffing has been doing the rounds on the various United messageboards rtegarding the deal. I have got no problem with United going in for young home grown potential, if we had only got Bale from Southampton. The Glazer's have a lot to answer for, but some times reds can sound off like some right spoilt bastards, we all know we need, and in an ideal world would be spending big this summer, but there is still roon for deal like this.

Miguel Delaney plots out United's transfer strategy for the summer,he has a decent track record apparently, and to be honest it sounds plausible enough. The proirities seem to be in the right order anyway, the left back we need and a couple of midfielders all within the, nice description here, Glazer era minimalism. My only question would be, if we are to get Nick Powell does that mean we are only now in for one attacking midfielder or is he indeed one for the future.

If there was any doubt about Bebatov's future i think his recent interview cleared it up, he will be joining Michael Owen in looking for a new club. I think we can safely say that Berbatov will find it easier to have clubs lining up to take him off United's hands than our former number 7's who won't be joing the illustrious roll call of United greats to have graced that number. If that kind of thing bothers you, that is, it's all a load of bollocks to me, a shirt's a shirt.
There has been speculation that United have tried to sign Lewandowski from Dortmund and that they may try and use the Bulgarian in part exchange to get their man. I can see that would be attractive to Berbatov, but i'm not sure he would fit in with Dortmund's style of play. More to the point, i'm not really sure what the big pole would bring to our squad. He's a decent playerbut i'm not sure what he'd bring to the party for us.

Van Der Sar thinks De Gea did well in his first season and advises the Spaniard to become his own man as aims to become a worthy successor to the big Dutch nember one after noting the trouble United had in trying to find an able replacement for Peter Schmeichel. Don't remind us of that unhappy time, it was no coincidence that is took the arrival of Van Der Sar to allow United to dominate the premier league again as they had with Scmeichel between the sticks in the 90's.

Gary Neville explains why he couldn't say no to Roy Hodgson and England and assures his fans on Sky that he won't be quitting his punditry role. I can't say i was that impressed with the squad Hdgson chose, but then again he hasn't got the depth in talent that he would like and England probably should be producing.
Roy Keane and Gareth Southgate warn the press that Gary Neville won't be as influential as the seem to expect, with Southgate expecting him a to assume the role that Bryan Robson filled under Terry Venables during the Euro's in 96.

An interesting article in Prospect over the future political realities in the south Atlantic as Britain's diffculties are predicted to get even more complicated as Brazillian economic strength is about to translate into serious naval strength with construction of five nuclear subs. So much for all that oil around the Falklands.

George Monibot takes the fight to the genocide deniers of the usual suspects of the old anti US left. I like reading some of Pilger's and Chomsky's stuff, but i would be totally with Monibot on this.

Walter Ellis looks at the changing face of America and warns that like it or not, and i think we know Telegraph readers probably won't, the US is becoming a post white nation. The interesting thing about that for me is how that will affect the politics and how it will effect the ruling elite. Will Wall street and oil continue to call the shots.

Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the far left Greek Syriza is described as the only European politician talking sense on Greece and the Euro, well he is the only one addressing thr reality of the situation, that's for sure. Larry Elliott argues that the Euro is ripe for a bit of Schumpter's creative destruction or it will carry on in its zombie-like condition.

Mary Riddell see's Miliband's appointment of Jon Cruddas to head the parties policy review as a big gamble and argues if he gets it wrong, Miliband will be left without a prayer. I can't say i'm much of a fan of blue labour, i'm not saying he doesn't have some good idea's, he does, but i don't see him as particularly progressive. We'll see.

The damp squib of a reaction to his extreme neo-liberal report seems to have put Beecroft's noise out of joint with him accusing Vince Cable of being a socialist, get it right social democrat and tells the Telegraph he is setting the record straight. Let him carry on and drag his patries chances at the next election down with him.
Alex Brummer sees the latest IMF report as the possible beginnings of plan B and a less than enthusiastic thumbs up from the organisation on Osborne and the bank's naigation of the economy since it took charge.

It looks like the work to welfare fraud is worse than we thought as tory MP's basically gagged the sector's whistleblowers, ordering them to give the selct comittee looking into the abuses behind closed doors, now why would they do that.

The Glazer's money crossroads

The Guardian report that the Glazers have took £71 million out of the club in order to pay off the debt and buy back the bonds, yet still the tabloids will link us with everyone under the sun. That story about United sounding out clubs about the availibilty of Nani if he doesn't agree a new contract sounds feasible after those figures. To bring anybody in United will have to sell more than just Berbatov. Of course that makes absolutely no sense football wise. I'm not Nani's biggest fan, but when he is on his game he is a top European talent, he's far more talented than Ashley Young and more skilful though far less consistent than Valencia.
Still those are not the headlines that the Glazer's will be glad to see, i wonder if these kind of quotes make there way into the press in south east Asia, that would be most unwelcome for the hoped for IPO. The BBC report might as well have come from the Glazer's PR department, pitiful.
Andersred blogs why the Glazer's future strategy for the club and possibly for getting out of their takeover with a healthy proft is heavily bound up with the proposed far eastern IPO. If they don't buy and the IPO went ahead and didn't value the club at a price they are happy with, what then, for them and the club.  

It was nice to see the reserves beat the divs last night at the council house to finish the season off by winning the Manchester senior cup 2-0 , last minute crowd invasion and all. United played reasonably well for the first 45 minutes, and just about deserved the lead given to them by Will Keane's goal.
The second half wasn't pretty to watch to be honest, United just seemed to sit back and hope to catch City on the break. Problem was you still have to play football to do that and too often our lads were just booting the ball anywhere instead of trying to build from the back to catch them on the break.
United still had all the best chances, Lingard had a chance and Will Keane set up Pogba superbly but the Frenchman couldn't finish it off. It was great to see the young sub, Salfordian Giverin brought on at the death, break free in the last minute to seal thw in and celebrate like it was the best thing to ever happen to him. What a week for him, he got a 45 minutes with the first team and then this. He will obviously never make it at the club, but he will have a couple of special special moments.
Nobody expected Pogba to play, and i suppose some will hope this was a sign that maybe he will stay. Of more note to me, was the fact that once again he couldn't manage to stand out at this level and yet his agent wants and United seem to be prepared to pay him a supposed £20 grand a year. That just seems totally unjustifiable and totally nuts to me.


Whatever happens over the summer, barring the exit of the Glazer family from the ownership of our football club of course, it looks like we are in for one more season of apalling atmosphere at Old trafford after the news that the setting up of a singing section inside the ground has been postponed.

Gill talks the talk about United being able to compete for the very best players, unfortunately for him it's the gimps that will have to walk the walk.  Ronaldo talks about losing money when City pipped us to the title, wow that must have hurt his bank balance  and then goes all coy when asked if he would come back to United. How can they write that with a straight face, i'm sure i'm not alone in fearing the day he comes back to Manchester, it would be in a sky blue shirt, not red.

Patrice Evra reflects on a difficult season, talking of the pressure surrounding the Suarez controversy and playing the Manchester derby after hearing that his brother had just died. I suppose it a bit hard, but the way he played in that gam, maybe Fergie should have left him out. Because in another sub standard season from the French left back, that was up there with his worst performances.We really must buy a left back or somebody who can do a job there like O'Shea did this summer, we can't put up with another season like the last two in this position.

Fascinating piece by David Winner on Wayne Rooney, if you didn't know who had written it, but had read Winner's book on Dutch football, Brilliant orange, you would probably be able to guess who had wrote it. I'm a fan of Rooney but i'm afraid a smirk appeared on this mush when i read the sentence "his close control is miraculous", when he is on his game it might be, but when it's not, for a top player, it can be fucking embarassing at times.

I'm not sure what to make of the possibility of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking over the reigns at Villa Park. I'm aware that to enhance the possibility of him succeeding Fergie he could do with establishing himself in the premier league. I'm just not sure that Villa park is the best place to start.
I haven't got much time for Villa's fans though i don't mind the club that much. They were always one of the potentially bigger clubs in the years before the money started flowing into the premiership. But they haven't really competed since, it said it all to me that the fans took Lerner's side over O'Neill. It was obvious to me that they were a club punching above their weight mainly due to the manager. The record since would seem to bear that out.
Going there at this present time with an unhappy fan base, what appears to me to be a piss poor squad and presumably only modest means to stengthen it means he is giving himself a really tough challenge. If he does take this, i suppose it shows two things, firstly he is up for a challenge and secondly he must have confidence in his own ability.
He is a top man, so if he does take the job, i will be watching out for Villa's results and hoping that he can turn things around for the Villaaa.

Rafael Behr looks at Europe's endgame and asks who will dare make the pro-EU cas, whilst Peter Oborne asks why on earth are we trying to save the Euro. Robert Peston tried to make that case with his BBC2 documentary tonight, an interesting watch.
We really could be at that much prophesied Lehman brothers moment as Ben Chu reports Europe and the markets have been spooked by a potential Spanish banking crisis. 

Jeremy Warner tells David Cameron he should admit the truth about the UK economy, i have noticed recently that the tory press have become even more critical of the coalition's competence over the economy than the usual subjects.
Zoe Williams can't believe Cameron and his tory chums, now we no whose fault the recession is, ours.

They derby hype starts to simmer

Ferdinand hopes that Scholes will give it one more season, he is one of the reasons for United going into Monday night three points to the good. He will do his best to persuade hime to stay on, though recognises he has always been his own man.
It was interesting to see the football writers place Scholes third in their player of the year award. Some have rubbished that because he has only played 13 league games, but in terms of his influence on the season i would say that was fair enough. It will be interesting to see whether the ginger prince starts on Monday night, i'm sure Fergie wants too as i'm sure he wants as much as experience in the team as possible. I wouldn't be at all suprised if Giggs starts the game as well, though we all know how much of a gamble that will be. The formation will either be 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 with Rooney so deep lying it's almost 4-5-1.
The only certainties that i can see for Monday night are Evra, Brown and Ferdinand at the back, Carrick in the middle and Rooney up front. To me every other position is up for grabs. Some would say why is Valencia isn't there, to which i would answer, he hasn't quite been on song over the last few games. I expect he probably will play because of his workrate and strength and the fact that he had a pretty good game at the boo camp in January. I would like to see Nani start but i feel he may go with Giggs on the left who will do a Park and tuck inside, with Rooney dropping deep. We shall see.

It was ironic that Fergie began describing Jonny Evans as possibly the best defender in the country ahead of last Sunday's game. He wasn't the worst defender on the day by any means, but he didn't cover himself in glory in those last ten minutes. I still think he's a good player, but remain to be convinced he is near the level Fergie was putting him at. If we are to prevail on Monday he is going to have to be at his very best and both hime and Ferdinand will have to have better protection in front of them than they had against Everton who at times seemed to just run straight through the middle of our spine towards goal completely unopposed.

Bryan Robson believes a title win will be up their with the very best for Fergie, but whatever happens, the summer will see change. We can only hope.
Andy Mitten writes that even Fergie can't really tell you who United will be bringing in this summer. It's interesting that i have read a few times recently that United thought they had Alexis Sanchez from Udinese in the bag in the summer until Barca entered the scene. He was never really mentioned last summer when all the talk was about Nasri and Sneijder. He is a good player, but i'm not really sure he was really a priority last summer, unless he was first choice and Ashley Young was the fall back player. If that was the case then we miss the bus.

It's been fascinating watch the Murdoch's at the Leveson inquiry this week, bad memories must run in the genes. Harold Evans remembers his time at the Times under old Rupert documented in his memoir of the time, Good times, bad times and describes Murdoch's vivid imagination.
After James Murdoch's evidence and the publication of those embarrassing e-mails, Peter Oborne wonders whether topple David Cameron. As with others he believes Jeremy Hunt is being used as a human shield by Cameron and believes there is as t least the whiff of a bargain between Cameron and Murdoch, for News international to support the tories at the last election and for the tories to help News international's commercial interests, ie to take complete control of the cash cow that would have been BSkyB.   
Ian Martin reports on a surreal night that he saw Jeremy Hunt hide before a tree before a dinner with James Murdoch.

Topically Larry Elliott goes back to 1975 to remember the last time this country suffered a double dip recession and sees an economic disaster area that must make Osborne's prized triple AAA rating a certainty to be down graded.
David Blanchflower reminds the chancellor that he was warned and argues that it is time for a chancellor who at least understands the importance of growth. Fellow Keynesian Will Hutton tells us our Kamikaze chancellor has a primitive understanding of what makes capitalism tick and that whilst events in the Eurozone haven't helped, this recession was made in Britain. Paul Krugman remarks on Cameron's remarkable achievement and predicts that the coalition's economic strategy as a death spiral of self defeating austerity. Paul Mason describes Britains current economic position as fantasy island.

Prem Sikka argues that history teaches us that squeezing ordinary people's finances always leads to disaster and that the rate of wealth transference from employees to state to corporations is unmatched in any developed country.

Strong Utd reserve line up win 3-1

Captain Nemanja Vidic belives that United are favourites to retain our championship if you look at our run compared to City's. Despite rumours a while ago that he could play some part in the run in, the plan is to be back in training for July for the start of next season. After all our defensive troubles this season it's to be hoped he is fully over the injury.
I had expected Rio Ferdinand to move on this summer and whilst there must still be a fair chance that will happen, it's not the sure bet it was. So the last thing we need is for the Serbian to come back and to start to show signs of wear and tear as he hits the early 30's.

Nicky Butt warns Paul Pogba that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, but hopes his appearances from the bench recently mean that Pogba and Fergie have patched up their differences and Pogba is now commited to the United cause.
Paul Pogba played last night in as strong a reserve team as has been seen in ages with Jones, Smalling, Fabio and Cleverley stepping down to gain match time i presume. I also wonder whether it was to get some of them used to playing with each other for the future. It was no suprise then that it was a reasonably one sided game with United running out 3-1 winners.
It didn't take United that long to take a 2-0 lead. They hadn't actually done that much up to that point, but once they got the goals and they were two crackers from Will Keane and Jesse Lingard they played some really good stuff. It was interesting to watch Matty James who has spent so long out injured alongside Cleverley and Pogba, he looked pretty good.
Going off this mornings Fergie press conference i wonder if Pogba might even start on Monday night, as he said he was took off because he will definitely play some part against Fulham. If he is to make a start this season it will have to come sooner rather than later, i'm presuming the game time he has all of a sudden started to get is an effort to keep him at the club for the long term.

The Mail link us with Crystal Palace's right back Nathaniel Clyne, i don't really understand this to be honest, we have how many players who can play right back. If we have a limited amount of money to spend, which we must assume to be the case, right back can hardly be a priority. To be honest when i saw him last season, which wasn't much i'll be honest he never really stood out that much for me, he certainly didn't look that much better than what we have got.

Speaking of which Fergie came out with a pearler this morning about Viera's suggestion that Scholes return and Morrison's departure showed a hint of desperation. I suppose it was an open goal, but he certainly lifted the roof of the net off with his response. It was a more humourous response than the press have made out since, which made it all the better.

A fascinating article from Simon Kuper about Barcelona's unique style of play and what makes it work. They are a great team, as good as i have seen, if not the best, but i do have a problem with some of that. That's more regimented than i would ideally ever want to see United play, i don't think George Best would have fancied playing in such a regimented system of play. It doesn't allow for anything off the cuff, in fact i still wonder how much Messi makes it work as magnificently as it does.
Without him i'm sure the tactics that Mourinho used with Inter to knock them out in 2010 and which Chelsea were unfortunate to be knocked out in the 2009 would probably workd against them far more often. Seeing as he very unlikely to leave Camp Nou any time soon, unless he has a bad injury, which as a football fan i hope doesn't, we aren't going to find that out any time soon.

Oh dear George Osborne was getting it from all sides after Wednesday's budget, as ConHome Editor tweeted yesterday his reputation of being the tories master strategist just took a hammering after seeing the morning after budget headlines.
One of Osborne's original Plan A supporters, Jeremy Warner of the Torygraph asks does Plan A actually still exist. Gary Gibbon's suspicion is that Grannygate will be a short nasty storm that will eventually pass, he may be right, though he seems to be in a minority. I suppose it depends whether his friends in the press turn out to be fair weather friends who though they probably agree with the 50p tax rate cut, know they can't sell it to their readers. Robert Peston blogs on why Osborne found it easier to pensioners than rock starts. He did find some support from the liberal conservative economist columnist Bagehot who described it as a Notting Hill budget. Peter Oborne seems to admire its risky nature but worries he may have buried the tories chances at the next election.
Larry Elliott doesn't generally do invective, but i presume that budget so disgusted him, he let the coalition have it with both barrels. David Blanchflower wonders whether it might be Osborne's last, now two years after taking power it has to take ownership of the mess they have created. He also lambasts the OBR, whose credibility he describes as in tatters, that is surely an absolute certainty and i'm suprised more hasn't been made of that. If Labour do regain power at the next election will they abolish it or reform it, it certainly hasn't covered itself in glory.
Unsuprisingly Richard Murphy wasn't impressed either and blogged his overview of the elephant traps laid in it.
Paul Krugman notes the snag with US conservatives economic receovery narrative with a graph comparing Keynesian US post crash recovery with conservative austerity Britain.

It seems that just as New Labour seemed to have a soft spot for Manchester, helping our recent renaissance, the coalition seemed to have decided that Manchester is to be their poster boy city, if the special treatment we were given in the budget is anything to go by. Liverpool, Birmingham and the rest must spitting in their corn flakes. It sounds like the lobbying Jim O'Neill and others have been doing on behalf of the city have borne fruit.

This piece by Damien McBride explaining the process through which budget's were arrived at was re-tweeted all day yesterday, but it is absolutely fascinating.

Will last night's Newsnight scoop signal the death knell for A4e if proven true, which i throrougly expect to be the case.

And Craig Murray doesn't like Dubai, i have never been, but i've read about it a plenty and i'm not suprised he couldn't stand it.

I have gone on record at how little i care for the plans of L.C.C.C ground's redevelopment, but it seems to be coming along well at the moment. That view next to the new media centre behind the bowlers arm, now the wicket has been turned round 45 degrees looks very interesting, especially high up on the second tier, i will have to give that at least a try when it's fully developed.

Utd reserves hit barcodes for six

You would never have guessed that they were going to net six times at half time but it's not the first time that piled it on once the opposition are out of the game. Will Keane showed nice flashes, though he ruined a great run in the first half by trying to beat one more man instead of passing to his left. He made up for that with his well taken first goal.
Paul Pogba actually showed the kind of form that had pundits raving about him last season. One drag back to beat his man on the bye line and cross to Lindgard in the first half, was worth the admission alone, just a pity Lindgard couldn't finish it off. It will take more than one impressive reserve outing before i change my mind about him though.
Michael Keane once again impressed especially the longer the game went on, it's amazing how much he has shot up since last years youth cup and looks like he is still growing. He makes some brillianr foward runs the longer the game goes on and the more stretched the game becomes. I'm not as sure as i was that we have future first teamers in this squad as i was but they are great to watch. Once the the game is there they go for the jugular, something i wish the first team would do more often. Though to be fair the first team have shown more signs of doing that this season when not decimated by injuries.

Welbeck has still not finished growing according to Fergie, i'm not sure whether that's good news or not. He seems strong enough as it is, he has certainly not been bullied by any centre halves this season. The worry would have to be, not fully grown means there are still more niggling injuries to come, when United have played well this season he has been a big part of the reason why.
Steve Bruce argues that his time at Sunderland was crucial to his improvement, time on the pitch enabled the boy to become a premier league man. I would dissent from that for one minute, i watched them a fair few times last season and they were always a far better team when he was in the side as the stats would suggest. I thought he was the man who made them tick, even alloing for the goalscoring of Darren Bent. We certainly need him fit for the run of fixtures that started at Arsenal and continues at Anfailed tomorrow.
Speaking of which Fergie has called for calm, telling the players to act responsibly. I don't really expect any fireworks on the pitch, though you can never be sure, but i can't really expect it to be very calm off it. I would take a one nil all day long, but it would be even nocer if we could actually put in a performance at Anfield for the first time for years. It's hard to see though, it's hard to see past the usual 100 miles an hour battle that it has become over recent years. If Jones is fit i would like to see him in central midfield as he was earlier in the season.
I thought Dalglish's decision to play Bellamy up front against City was a big part of the reason for their improved performance against City. The good news for United is that Bellamy doesn't generally play two games in four days, he looked fucked just before he came off on Wednesday. So there must be a fair chance that Carroll will come back into the team tomorrow. If Bellamy does start it will be interesting to see how long he lasts.
The bad news for us, is our injury list just never seems to come down. It looks like Park will come in for the injured Nani, it's hard to see Fergie bringing Young, if fit, straight back into this game, that obviously blunts our attack. I hope that Fergie is bluffing when he warned that Rooney was not certain to be fit. If he isn't and Rooney is missing we will be woefully short on creativity. I couldn't see Giggs starting this game but if Rooney is out i can see Giggs standing in for him just behind Welbeck. It would be nice to see Ferdinand fit for tomorrow, but i mean fit, not the half fit that was struggling through 90 minutes throughout January. If not it has to be Smalling and Evans in the centre of defence with Rafael and Evra at full back. There can surely be no thought of leaving Evra out.

Steve Richards warns the coalition to drop NHS reforms before it's too late. Lasnley doesn't seem to be going out of his way to take the medical professions with him as he carries on his detested reforms. I'm not too sure it's politcally a wise move to start slagging off the doctors.
Peter Oborne returns to his attack on the moral decay of the British establishment. I wouldn't argue with the two cases he brings up, but i can never see how his policy prescriptions would alter anything.
Apple are slammed over their attitude to the Chinese wokers who produce their massive profits and who pay the price. If that firm was a blue chip British outfit would Peter Oborne be slaughtering them?

Freddy Gray in the Spectator asks whether American conservatives have given up, looking from this side of the pond it would seem so, you can't believe that Obama could possibly lose to Romney or Gingrich.

Happy days from 85, more of the same tomorrow please, you can see me on the pitch at the end, what a night.

United and money

The Indy have reported that Ravel Morrison was demanding £30k a week to sign for a new contract. It hasn't taken him long to reach for the old Twitter to deny ever asking for £30, £50 or even the £12 k that United supposedly offered him. Some spinning going on here, is this coming from the Glazer's people , it's pretty embarrasing really. If United want rid because he is a bad apple, fair enough, just sell him and have done with it. If they really won't pay what Morrison or Pogba want it will come out, especially in Twitter happy Morrison's case, so all the spinning in the world won't help.
It does seem that he wants to stay but United want him out, if that's the case accept a bid.
Contract talks have now apparently broke down over a new deal with Welbeck, i can't really stand talking about footballers wages, as they are just totally immoral to me. Commentators always point out that people complain about bankers but never say anything about footballers, i don't know too many people who think footballers even remotely earn the astronomic wages they earn. Who knows what to believe in all these contract negotiations, all i will say is that he should be a similar wage band to Jones and Smalling. It's all a bit worrying to be honest, to me Welbeck is a huge part of the United future, i really think he is going to be a top top player.
If it has gone from no value in the market, ie we can't compete with the City's, Real's and new money flooding into European football to not even being able to keep local talent that have come through the ranks, we are in even more trouble than i thought.

Interesting words from Bayern's top men during the week, abhoring the Arab money Manchester City model, the leveraged buy out model of Manchester United and worrying that Platini is going to go soft over FFP. I can't help but see that as a shot across Platini's bow, i'm pretty sure the Glazer's would have been right behind those worries about Platini if Hoeness had not gone on to tell the world that if it came to it, he would prefer to be taken over by the Arabs than by a leveraged takeover.
It was interesting that the Glazer's through a United spokeman replied almost straight away, they do seem to be worried at the moment don't they. Andersred has blogged on United present financial situation and why they will not be spending any time soon, the debt of course.

Vidic seems to be on the happy pills whilst starting his rehabilitation after his knee operation claiming that only one club from Manchester will be amongst the sliverware come the end of the season. We have a chance of course, but i can't believe he is that confident, maybe it's all a startegy to put the pressure on City ahead of Sunday's clash with Spurs.
I wish i was as confident about our chances on Sunday as i am about Spurs chances of getting a result at the boo camp on Sunday. Don't get me wrong i don't fear Arsenal, if we perform we will win, but this season its hard to predict which United will turn up, the first half United against City or the second half United.
The one thing we definitely need is bodies back, especially indefence, and here the news appears to be good as Fergie has confirmed that both Smalling and Jones have trained this week and will be fit for Sunday. It's nice to hear encouraging news about Cleverley for once as well as Young, you just know when he is fit we will hear that phrase "it's like having a new player".

Lindegaard seems to have a lot to say for himself, he's a confident chap as good old Ray Wilkins would say, i think he's a good goalie, but i'm not sure he's shown himself off to be as good as he seems to think he is yet. Still he hasn't had a proper run of games yet, so presuming he is now our number one the next couple of months will tell us just how good he is.
As for De Gea i was always worried about relying on such a young goalie who didn't speak that much English, it does seem those fears weren't unfounded. I suppose the timing of the news that the Spaniard has long vision and will need eye surgery in the summer to correct it is unsuprising. I still feel he has the potential to be our number one, but he has to bulk up and learn the language enough to be able to command the back four in front of him.


Steve Richards warns us not to buy into the current media narrative that paints Milliband as a busted flush, current assumptions should about our political may prove to be wholly wrong. Matthew Norman totally slaughters Cameron's moderate tory image as if to point out how current perceptions of tory hegemony could turn out to be miles of the mark.

I always wondered whether there was more to this story than was let on in the press at the time, but Blair's head honcho Jonathan Powell admitted yesterday that Russia had us bang to rights over the "spy rock" affair. It always pays to have a sceptical eye over western denials when countries accuse them of meddling in their internal affairs.
I would love to know what intelligence we were actually trying to get hold of, i would like to think we were trying to help the democratic opposition, but i'm pretty sceptical about that as well.
The new documentary series Putin, Russia and the west threatens to be must see TV, as David Hearst writes Norma Percy's death of Yugoslavia was as good a historical drama as there has ever been.

Indy owner Alexander Lebdev reminds us why we should be trying to assist democratic forces punish the oligarch's theft of Russia's wealth. I'm not that sure he's the best advocate of this argument, but there you go. Putin's been having a go at the oligarch's as part of his electoral campaign no doubt, was Abramovitch listening.
Hungary looks as if it may well become the first former iron curtain country to decide to turn its back on the EU and democracy. This has been a prediction from observers who have warned that the financial crisis could have serious consequences. I suppose if there was one country this was going to happen to, Hungary may have been the one predicted, it seems to have reactionary outbreaks sporadically through its history.

The Economist has lead with a special report on the rise of state capitalism and its challenges to free market liberalism, social democracy doesn't seem to merit a mention.

Nick Cohen's new book about this countries abysmal libel laws are one of the reasons oligarch's, dictators and white collar crime love the city of London, makes you proud to be British doesn't it. 

Danish TV seems to be on one hell of a roll, the Killing has now been followed up with another excellent political drama Borgen. The first series has started and is already must watch, apparently there is a second series and a third one to be filmed. Following that a Swedish/danish co-production, lovely jubbly.

Ha-Joon Chang tells us not to blame the credit agencies for Eurozone turmoil, Europe is strangling itself with its flawed strategy. Paul Mason points out the six points that if sequenced right could help Europe to get out of the self inflicted mess it has found itslef in. He doesn't sound very convinced they will follow them.
Ambrose Pritchard-Evans points out the World banks fears of what will happen if they do indeed get it wrong, it will be worse than 2008, don't panic, don't panic.

Private eye continues to police our incompetent HMRC and discovers another sweet heart deal with Vodaphone. This really should be as big a scandal as Hackgate, but you just know the majority of our media owners don't want to expose any of this as they are at this themselves.

A new report has been produced for the TUC looking at what lessons should be learnt from the exporting powerhouse that is Germany. I have no arguments with it, that is definitely the way to go, i have my doubts that our unions would be capable of simulating the role that German trade unions play in Germany even if out of nowhere we discovered a social market style government.
Don't get me wrong i believe in unions playing a constructive role in an ideal world, i just don't think much of a majority of union leaders.

Morrison for sale?

The Telegraph are reporting that United have called it quits with Ravel Morrison and have put him up for sale with Newcastle having already had one bid turned down. I'm afraid it's all too believable, something has been going on over the past month, that has seemed quite obvious.
It's a shame as he was definitely a talent, but it was always a question of how much he really wanted it. As i'm sure i'm not the first and won't be the last to say it today, if he can't get his arse in gear to make a go of it at United, it's hard to see him ever achieving what his talent suggests he should do in the game. I can't argue with the decision to try and make some money from him, if true of course, he was lucky that United stuck by him after his court case. He was easily the best of last year's youth cup squad, you have to wonder how many of that group will actually make it at United, will Pogba still be here next season, he looks miles away from the first team from what i have seen of him in the reserves this season.
I watched Tunnicliffe play for Peterbrough last week against Sunderland last week, but it was hard to judge his performance as he was given a role that was totally deifferent from his role at United. He didn't do anything wrong in a defensive role but his passing wasn't as accurate as i would have liked it to have been. I still think Will Keane has a great chance, he looks a real player, i would have liked to see him go out on loan for the rest of the season, but i suppose it's harder to get games on a regular basis when you play up front.
Of the others who knows, Will's twin Michael Keane seems to have shot up and his game has come on, but first team potential, i don't know. Larnell Cole looked good last year, but is he strong enough, Fryers has played for the first team and looked decent at times but has got away with a couple of bad mistakes. Lastly one of the players i really liked the look of last year has hardly got a look in this year, and when Tom Thorpe has played it has been in midfield. It's too early to say the hopes that we placed in the youth cup winning team of 2011 has not lived up to the hype, but they all have a lot of work to do. 

 The Mail report that Everton are hoping to clinch the signing of Darron Gibson. I don't rate him, but i suppose with the size of Everton's squad and their lack of money he could turn out to be a decent signing. As for Gibson, it has to be a good move for his career overall and for his chances of going to European championships in the summer with the Republic.

Mark Ogden claims that Fergie is glad to have Scholes back for his experience as much as anything as he regrets selling O'Shea and Wes Brown after losing Van Der Sar, Neville and Scholes as well. I had wondered whether Fergie regretted letting O'Shea go in the summer as he would have filled a few holes for during this injury crisis.

Andy Mitten speaks with ex United youth player Bojan Djordic after the player was released by Blackpool recently. He looked a really good player in the youth team, maybe not good enough for United but i thought he would have had a career as premier league football. I suppose he has had an interesting and varied career but he would have made a better living if he made it as a premier league player. I can remember the chipped goal he scored at Celtci, it was a real beauty.

Ahead of last Sunday's derby Daniel Taylor profiled Roberto Mancini and compared him to Fergie, well we are going to see if there is any validity to the claim with the dismal run City are currently going through. They were shocking last night, and what about that crowd, 36,000 for a semi final, massive indeed. I'm looking forward to seeing that City line up take on Spurs in a couple of weeks time.

I enjoy reading Peter Oborne even if i don't really agree with him on most of the big issues, but i would go along with almost all of this column prasing the Union and hoping that the Scots don't vote for independence.
Of course if Osborne is thinking he is playing a win win game, hoping to thwart the Nationalists but if not making sure that England will become a one party Tory state, five, ten years down the line when England's loss of influence becomes obvious he won't seem so clever. Oborne is totally correct that the four constituent parts of Britain were piffling inconsequential places in the grander cheme of things before the act of Union. I read one nationalist comparing England's attitude to Scotland as typically imperialist, fuck me has he ever read the history of the empire and the disproportionate role the Scots played in it. Scotland wasn't a conquered nation.
Michael White compares SNP leader Alex salmond to the English Euro sceptics with his blame game, Teddy Taylor won't be pleased to be described as English.

I have just read Paul Mason's Meltdown : The end of the age of greed, which was fantastic read and am looking forward to buying and reading the follow up. The Guardian ran an extract from it last week, it seems to continue with some of the issues touched from Meltdown, such as the network and i love the way he uses historical comparisons whether or not they turn out to have any validity it makes you realise what a historicaly important time we are currently living through.
Another book i'm going to have to read eventually is Richard Murphy's new book, here in his blog he argues what the new social democracy will have to look like. Whether he is right or wrong, and i would think that is the way we have to head the one thin all these articles are surely right on is that we will not be able to go on doing things the way we have done them for the last 30 years.

Mason made much of the forward march of the east and the developing world in Meltdown and Martin Wolf used his FT colum to look ahead to the economy for this part of the world in the year 2012. He sees high hopes for them but argues that they will not come to the developed world's rescue, we will have to sort things out for ourselves.

John Gray pens an fascinating review of a new book by Philip Coggan called Paper promises: Money,debt and the new world order in which he agrees with Mason that the Neo-Liberal era is over and it's time that our politicians and economists woke up to the fact.
Hans Kundnani fears that the Eurozone will pay a high price for Germany's economic narcissism espoused by its pursuit of ordoliberalism which will leave deficit countries facing greater austerity.

Flecther the lastest midfield pin to be bowled over !

I can't say i was amazed by the news that United have officially announced that Darren Flecther is taking an extended break from football for health reasons. As i have wrote, the fact that he was left out of the Basel game was the most obvious sign yet that something was amiss.
As the Telegraph writes he is basically fighting to save his career and after reading up on the illness on Wikipedia you have got to wonder how much chance he really has. It's amazing that he managed to get back to playing at all this season after what he must have been going through. But we have to be honest, it's been all too apparent he hasn't been the player that made him a player Fergie always went to for the big games. We all know how much we missed him in the 2009 defeat in Rome, even if after our defeat last May at Wembley we now know we aren't on the same level as Barca.
It seems that he is very well thought of as a man as well as a highly regarded footballer if that is any comfort to him as he faces his fight to regain his health, as much as, hopefully save his career. Henning Berg talks about his first appearance in the United squad and how the first teamers were taken aback by the quality and self confidence of the young Scot. It's easy to forget that Fergie wanted to put him into the first team at just 16. Of course he then suffered injury after injury and i have often wondered if we would have seen the best of him in a red shirt earlier if he hadn't basically missed two to three years of football.

Of course this was probably the last news that Fergie needed at this particular moment in time, the loss of yet another central midfield player. If we are going to be critical, we would wonder why Fergie didn't make at least one midfield acqusition in the summer, when he must have had an inkling that Fletcher had every chance of a relapse. On this it's hard to be too critical, we know he tried to get Sneijder and Nasri, and that financial demands meant we had know chance with those two. I can't say i am a fan of buying for buying sake, they have got to be United quality and have the kind of character that Fergie wants in a player. I know we laugh when Fergie says no value in the market, but there is something to that.
I can't see us buying in the transfer window, all the rumours suggest that is the last thing the Glazer's will sanction. But the summer will have to see business done or City will start pull away from us, and the rest, to dominate the English game the way we have done. How much faith can you have in the gimps though.
Given that papers are in the business of making money, more than selling us facts, it aint going to stop them speculating and that has already begun. The Telegraph look at Rodwell as a player that United have looked at in the past and could go back in for. I'm in two minds on him, he can obviously play but what is his position and will he be consistent or good enough for us. Everton are in a mess financially and would probably have no option to sell if we went in with a big enough bid, but i really can't see it happening. Is yet another young player of potential really what is required at this moment in time, probably noteven if fuds were available.
If we weren't still suffering the financial pain of paying for the priviledge of the Glazers borrowing to buy us the ideal signing would be an experienced player, 28-30 years old who could see us through until the youngsters start to hopefully make the grade. But how does that fit in with the Glazer's ridiculous policy of not buying players of 27 or over because they would have no sell on value. This current period of time is making that look like the totally preposterous nonesense it always was.

Paul Ince thinks United need to spend to take the pressure of Wayne Rooney, and he has some shopping list, fuck me, is he even partially aware of the financial state of the club. When he mentions Modric and then Iniesta he shows he seems to have lost all touch with reality. I agree that those are the standard of player we should be looking at, but even if we could afford them, doubtful as that is, Modric apparently wants to stay in the smoke and why the fuck would Iniesta want to leave Barca.

I would have loved the draw we have just had in the Europa league if i wasn't skint, Ajax aren't the club they were and having watched a bit of Dutch football in the last couple of weeks, even in our straightened circumstances it's a tie we should win. But a trip to the Dam, that would be shit hot, i haven't been there since the 2006 pre season tournament that saw Rooney get sent off. It's certainly an easier tie than City's trip to Portual and holders Porto

The Mirror think that Cleverley will be the man Fergie looks to see us through our midfield crisis. I'm not doubting him as a player, i rate him highly, even if as others have pointed out it's ridiculous to be relying on a 22 year old who has about 5 or 6 first team starts to his name, but the bigger problem is so far in his career he has proven to be pretty injury prone.
Mark Ogden reveals that Fergie has ralled his troops ahead of the run of games in December that could see us make ground on City. The ironic thing reading that, is that Fergie's motivational speech was given ahead of the Basel debacle. Still this is the time to try and put some pressure on the divs, it will be interesting to see how they respond to their first league defeat on Monday night at the Bridge.
That was a weird game, there is no getting away from how far superior as a team, City are to Chelsea and for the first 25 minutes, City showed it, taking the lead after a minute and then having a blatant penalty knocked back. If that had gone in i would have feared the worst for the rent boys, it could have been another big Cuty away win.
But after that bright opening City coasted and allowed the home team back into it, even if Chelsea didn't particularly look like scoring. The equaliser came out of the blue and if i'm being honest so did the rent boys winner.
City didn't really come out of the traps in the second half, but when Clichy was correctly sent off i thought Mancini would revert to type and set City up to not lose. That he did and to be honest i couldn't see the home team scoring and barring the penlty i don't think they would have.
City's game against Arsenal couldn't have come at a better time for us, we will get a glimpse of how they will fare at the business end of the season. If Arsenal score first how will City react to the first bit of pressure they have faced this season. It's usually a pretty good ground for the gunners so there is some hope for us. After saying all that though, and even allowing for the form Arsenal are in, thanks mainly to Van Persie's current hot streak, i would be suprised to see Arsenal come away with anything.

It seems as though Ryan Tunnicliffe is doing reasonably well at Peterbrough even if he isn't playing as much as he would like. Darren Ferguson wants to keep him for the rest of the season. I went on Red Cafe's forum, i'm not particularly a fan of it, but it's probably the best United forum for keeping up to tabs on United's youngsters, and Peterbrough fans were impressed with him, but though him best as an impact sub at the moment.
That's a fair enough performance at this stage of his career, coming on and being able to change games in the championship and getting the occasional 90 minutes is almost certainly a better learning curve for his career than turning out for the reserves on Thursday night's.
It looks like Robbie Brady will be staying at Hull City where he has impressed during the first half of the season. It's good news when the players can force there way into championship clubs and those clubs want to keep them, it can only do them good.

I watched the reserves stuff a ten man Liverpool 4-0 on a heavy pitch at Altrincham last night and we didn't really learn too much to be honest. It would be nice to see Will Keane and Pogba both going out on loan to get some proper first team experience, but looking at them i get the feeling that neither is really physically ready for it yet. At least that was the most encouraging performance from the Frenchman this season, who knows whether that is good news or not, his contract negotiations haven't appeared in the back pages for over a couple of days.
I was watching Larnell Cole in particular after seeing him in the youth team last season, Scholes singling out of his quality and his promtion to the first team bench for the league cup this season. But i'm afraid he didn't really catch the eye, he couldn't get into the game in the first half stuck out on the right. He was brought into centre of the pitch in the second half and got far more involved in the game. He was neat and tidy but i can't pretend there was anything that got me excited. I will keep an eye on him as i know he has talent and he seems to be well thought of within the club.

Brain McClair is happy with the new academy rules that has seen the 90 minute rule scrapped. I'm not so sure, we should be able to find player from all over England, i think that's right. But i wouldn't want us to go down to the route that he seemed to be suggesting we should go, when discussing that youth team from Barcelona that won one of our tournaments. It's no business of United or any other English football club coaching foreign under 16 players.
Surely we have learned our lesson through Pique, Rossi and maybe even Pogba that youngsters from aboard will have no loyalty to United, they will follow the money or hotter climate's. Of course under the present ownership the thinking may well be that this is good business. That would say something about where we are as a club.
Talking of which, no wonder the Glazer's chose Singapore to host the potential part float if Hong Kong see United as a risk not worth taking a chance on for a pre-season frinedly price of $3 million, i'd be a keeping an eye on that Chinese economy if i was the gimp family. Things aren't looking for a £2 billion valuation at the moment.

This was a pretty disastrous week for Clegg and Milliband, i was going to say leaders of bothe of Britain's centre left parties, but whilst the Lib dems may still just be described as centre left Clegg could never be described as that.
The week was far worse for Clegg, i couldn't believe his response on Friday to Cameron's veto and was sure that there would be some Lib dem response to this tactical disaster, whether resignations or leadership challenge talk. As it was it was Clegg who came out trashing the veto, though a few suspect that he was under orders from Ashdown amongst others to show the Lib dems disgust with what had happened.
Steve Richards claimed that Clegg must now realise to the true nature of his coalition partner, whilst Alistair Campbell thought his Monday no show was pathetic. Bennedict Brogan argued that Clegg's sulk made Cameron's veto look even better, the tories could brealey disguse their glee even if under orders not to show it.
Matthew Norman got to the rub of the matter in his Wednesday Indy column, Clegg is helping his enemies to annihilate his own party, or in even harsher words, he is just not very good at this politics thing is he, i would be winding if i was a Lib dem member every time i saw Clegg and naive in the same sentence at the moment. Frasier Nelson left it until Tuesday to look at where the fallout from the Cameron left the state of British politcs and to be honest it was pretty fair.

At least a bad week for Ed Milliband ended on a bright note with Labour's by-election win in Feltham, but once again the murmerings of unhappiness with his leadership became a talking point of the chattering classes.
As Frasier Nelson pointed out Labour didn't have a coherent response to Cameron's veto and vereybody knew it, once again it made him look indecisive. Then came Wednesday's PMQ's which turned into an utter disaster for the younger Milliband brother, it is not going unnoticed that elder brother David seems to " be on manouevres as one commentator put it, Nicholas Watt wondered if Ed Milliband had just suffered his Westland moment.
I was never a particular fan of either brother, both seem charisma free entities to me, but David does seem to have more gravitas. I have to admit i just can never picture Ed as prime minister in this TV celebrity age, not that that is a good thing. But even worse he appears to be completely out fo his depth when facing Cameron, he doesn't seem to be able to think on his feet.
Andrew Grice is far from alone in thinking that the backbench sniping over his leadership and the tory upturn in the poles should be worrying the labour leadership.
Peter McHugh thinks Cameron can't believe how his fortunes have turned from zero to hero without any planning. Bennedict Brogan appears to think that his present status amongst tory backbenchers won't last as reality bites in Europe.


I am not a fan of Facebook, i never really understood the attraction but i'm a fan of twitter and the death of Christopeher Hitchens is a good example of why it can be so useful. Article after article and quote after quote, serious and ferociously funny have just kept on coming today.
I have read a couple of books and the site that compiled his articles and he was a brilliant writer, nobody could ever agree with everything he ever wrote, but he was always worth reading. I remember the night that Clinton was first elected where he chose to go against the liberal triumphalism, claiming the Clintons were just lwayers on the make. He was way ahead of the curve on that, though whether he was as correct about Clinton's sexual shennanigans in his book No one left to lie to, i'm not so sure.
Of course he was probably most famous for his strident aetheism, especially in god fearing USA. I have always preferred his attacks on religion to Richard Dawkins for the humourous way he went about them. I suppse it was ironic that the last Bitish interview was conducted by Richard Dawkins in this weeks New Satesman.

What the secularist world has lost