Smalling admires Rio

Chris Smalling is enjoying playing with Rio and admits he couldn't wish for a better pair of central defenders than Rio and Vidic to learn the ropes from. Let's hope he is a good learner, i like the way he talks about learning positional sense from Ferdinand, that is what we want to see.
Alan Hansen uses his Telegraph column to tell Ferdinand if he wants to prolong his career, it's time to end his international career. I can't see that happening, i have always thought he was another Becks who puts England above United.

Ferguson puts Berbatov's outstanding form to down renewed self belief and confidence. He also let on that he thinks Scholes, Giggs and maybe Van Der Sar may still have one more season in them. 
Valencia has been a big loss Ferguson admits, he settled in really quickly as the club didn't expect him to show the quality he has for at least two seasons. At least with Nani in good form the loss has been negated to a certain extent. I don't deny Nani has done reasonably well but we have missed Valencia badly with a lack of real quality on the other flank especially after Giggs got injured.

The MEN seems to have been to sampling something that's probably illegal as they suggest United and City will go head to head for the signature of Fernando Torres. Where do you start taking apart such a crock of shit.

A Sunday Times interview with 60's United man John Fitzpatrick.

I wouldn't generally put anything from Sky on here but this was interesting. Custis pretty much sums the Glazer's up.

Rooney joins the chorus of figures in the football world calling for a winter break in the premier league.
Richie De Laet seems to be impressing in his loan stint at Bramhall lane.

It seems as if the IMF have joined the ranks of Keynsian liberal left social democrats as they warn the global downturn risks generating a lost generation that could threaten democracy itself.
Jeremy Warner thinks the IMF was complascent to think it had won the battle to stop the global economy sinking into 30's style slump. There is still a whole long way to go and even more critical problems to solve.
William Keegan talks of the lessons of history which the coalition seem to be as ignorant of as their new labour predecessors.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabo that Chinese progress will lead to democracy and freedom, though he did say there was disagreement about the topic within the party. It would be nice to think that it would, but is there any great demand for it at the moment within the country itself.
If we are entering a preiod of currency wars Reuters correspondent James Salt thinks the Chinese are running rings around the competition.

The tories are still in anguish over last weeks child benefit cuts, as two different Torygraph writers come to two very different conclusions with Janet Daley complaining of the middle class being under attack and Matthew D'ancona, correctly in my view,  calling them a just another group of vested interests who thought they would be "looked after".

Henry Porter describes the unholy alliance that is now grouping together to try to stop Murdoch's attempt to acquire complete control of BSkyB. 

Johann Hari reports on the dark side of Dubai as the hard times arrive after the losses incurred during the credit crunch. I had just read about Dubai and Abu Dhabi in John Kampfner's excellent book, How we made money and lost our freedom so not much of that came as a surprise. The worst aspect of the article for me was the expats behaving like the worst kind of colonolialist scum.


Restrepo opens in this country this week and looks well worth a watch. I watched the dispatches episode last week that followed Bravo's deadly mission, it was a pretty good summing up for the reasons for not being there. The best line was right at the end when one of the US private's said " they're not like Americans that's for sure" and described the mission as a mindfuck. The best reposte to the neocon mission i could think off.
As to whether this could be the best war documentary ever, i always think looking back at things from a distance leads to a better perspective on events. But i haven't seen it yet, so we shall see.

Tmothy Garton Ash asks us to try the real Facebook test: restoring your privacy.

The incredible Glazer profit loss

United reveal record profits and yet post a massive loss of £83 million. That to me, is pre credit crunch, voodoo economics time.

David Conn charts the decline of two English football giants at the hands of leveraged buyouts. To me leveraged buyouts are just totally immoral full stop, anybody with half a brain knows that they just allow the buyer to assett strip the institution that has been bought. But for the Premier league to allow it to happen to the two clubs that are undoubtedly world famous is a stunning indictment of that body. Would that have been allowed to happen in Spain to Barca or Real or in Italy to the two Milan's or Juventus and it certainly couldn't have happened in Germany to FC Hollywood Bayern.

Andersred's first thoughts are of the best run club in the country if not the world that is completely wasted in having to pay of that debt. And the worry, which is surely the point the task of trying to compete at the top end of the market whilst constrained in its transfer dealing. David Bond of the BBC writes that he thinks these results means a takeover is a long way off, though he does say that thses results show why the red knights wouldn't pay the £1.5 billion the Glazer's supposedly wanted for United, the club simply isn't worth anywhere near that.

Paul Kelso thinks the Glazer's know what they are doing, they have had luck in the timing of the takeover but he thinks they showed judgement in the gamble of the bond issue. But he admits to the reality that United are simply paying the price of having them as owners. I would say their are a million and one more issues than us just having the privilegde of paying for them as owners. Unless he means when they sell the club, they will walk away with a profit. As events down the east lancs show that depends on what happens on the pitch. As the bond prospectus admitted what would happen if Fergie left or heaven forbid dropped dead tomorrow?

Don't panic, says corporal Gill, the long term structure is sound, yes of course it Jonesy, er Gill.

England under 21's with three United lads in the starting team won again, this time against Romania with Chris Smalling scoring a late winner and all three reds apparently having good games. I didn't see it, sad to say, i like watching the three of them play as they are all going to be a big part of United's future.
Van Der Sar rubbishes recent retirement talk, i must admit i was surprised by the midweek retirement news as from the comments i had read from him in pre-season and over the first couple of months of the season it sounded like he would make a decision at Christmas as usual.

It looks like Wes Brown is in the naughty corner after a pre season row with Fergie. I can't see him letting him go yet, we aren't that well off at the back, though he is pretty obviously nowhere near the player he was.

Differing views on Ed Milibands appointment of Alan Johnson as shadow chancellor. I must admit even though he is supposedly on the more progressive side of the Labour party he has never overly impressed me and i have never understood how the common touch epithet is attached to him. Not that peeople will be bothered about any common touch in a shadow chancellor, what they will want is someone who sounds like he is totally on top of his brief and will be proved right in his judgement. I'm with those who think this could turn out to be a major mistake. 
The Torygraph thinks it is a cunning move by Miliband even if numbers aren't his strong point. George Eaton of the new statesman agrees with that assessment asn says it shows Labour's future economic policy will be closer to Darling's vision than Ed Balls.

The Independent asks if Manchester is the greatest university in this country. As far as discoveries that could and should have been used to have helped our manufacturing and hence export industrie, the answer must be yes. Of course because of the bias in this country towards the city of London and finance we have always missed the boat in exploiting these discoveries.

Manchester airport shares out £100 million dividend, keeping £80 million whilst sharing out £20 million amaongst Greater Manchster councils. I would like to think there would be uproar if that were ever sold off. An example to the rest of the country how a region or city can take a stake in it's own future without always relying on central government.

Ian Macshane of talks about his career as the interviewer charts the upswing in his career since his brilliant portrayal of Al Swearengen in the outstanding Deadwood. I'd love to hear what he really thinks of the Glazer's, if he hates the Murdoch empire as much as is made out in the opening part of the interview.

Van Der Sar's last season

We have been linked with a continental keper again, this time Ajax's Stekelenburg. It would be nice to find an English goalie or even a british isles born keeper, if City could find Hart, why can't we find one.
Apparently it seems United epect Van Der Sar to hang his boots up at the end of the season and that is why Eric Steele is jetting from Spain To Sweden and everywhere beyond. If that is the case, this is one big decision as the big Dutchman has been as integral to our success over the last five seasons as Schmeichel was to us in the 90's. I still haven't seen a goalie half as good as Van Der Sar is with the ball at his feet and it's vital whoever we get is far better than either Foster or Kuszczak have been in that department.

Fergie thinks United's form hasn't been that bad, we aren't where he wanted us to be because of a lack killer instinct. Whilst he is not wrong that we dropped points at Fulham and Everton that we shouldn't have, we didn't actually dominate either game. We should have won at Everton no question, but Fulham probably deserved a draw even if it came right at the death.
That still doesn't excuse tow piss poor performances against Rnagers and Sunderland and a pretty poor performance at Bolton. Lack of quality in the squad when he tries to rotate the squad is what is hurting us. Bringing Cleverley back from Wigan will go some way to solving that as would a Carrick who can manage to refind some form. I can't bring myself to mention the possibility of Hargreaves return.

The Mail manage to decide scrape together a story saying Macheda has denied that he will be going to Lazio on loan. I very much doubt he will be going there unless Fergie decides he is not part of his future plans. I still think he should have gone out on loan when Welbeck did as he needs regular football just as much at this stage of his career.
He also mentioned Wayne Rooney and i think we will be told he was mis translated.

Brian Moore argues that Liverpool fans can't cry foul now, they should have done that before Hicks and Gillett took over. And we all know the welcome they gave them. It sounds like the bank are just absolutely desperate to get rid of the club and get their money back to me. There are no actual promises on anything except for paying the debt back to the bank. We shall see.

The billionaire investor Warren Buffett is less than impressed with the latest free for all on Wall street and attacks the lack of reform over the last two years. It's not looking like Obama is going to prove to be the special leader some on the liberal left had hoped for. He could have attacked the financial elite from the centre, never mind the left after the financial meltdown of 2008, but he has turned out to be another Bill Clinton so far. In fact it's hard to imagine what would have turned out different if the US had voted in the first female predident Hilary Clinton instead of the first black presiednt.
Tracey Corrigan says Jerome Kerviel has got three years but most get away scot free, some of us would say there will be more than one or two of those rewarded on Wall street that probably should be behind bars.
Robert Peston writes that the UK and Switzerland have been quite close partners on the international arena as new rules on how to regulate the banks have been discussed. So the news that a new Swiss report on how to make sure that its banks are too too big to fail has recommended  higher capital requirements ( they have to keep more money in reserve ) will be news that British banks won't be keen to hear.

Larry Elliott reports that the mood at the IMF is sombre amidst economic imbalances and maybe the start of a currency war. They are right to think so he argues, as lessons go unlearned and countries look at the smaller picture instead of the big one. The IMF are also arguing that the finacial system is the achilles heel of the global economy and that the use of credit agencies to assess government debt. I have just read Larry Elliott and Dan Roberts two latest books where they attack the economic consensus of the last thirty years. And they accuse the IMF of being a part of the "new Olympians" the rich elite that have given us the lie that the market is never wrong, so to read them come out with that is so, so ironic.



George Soros blames the Germans for threatning Europe with deflation through it's unwillingness to learn the lessons of the 1930;s because its economy isn't doing too badly, for now. Daniel Gros argues that Europe has to start to look to the future and speak more with one voice at a global level. That's nothing but wishful thinking at the moment, unfortunately.
David Blanchflower has another go at Andrew Sentence for worrying about inflation. And predicts his tenure at the MPC will not be renewed once his second term has finished next year.
Almost all of the really heavyweight thinkers of the economic world seem to be against cuts and regard the first job of governments and central bank to start to deliver growth and make sure we don't walk ourselves into depression.  An yet they all seem to think that this is where we are heading at present. The neo liberals can't give up on their discredited beliefs however much the evidence points against them

Robert Peston touches on what our, slacker than just about every other country in the worlds, takeover laws will probably mean if we are to enter a low or even no growth era. They will not be the only set of workers that this could happen to.


The blighty blog of the economist makes a good point about journalists and politicians for that matter who seem to think the average wage is higher than it is and hence the average joe or average family are will be as up in arms as they areover the child benefit cuts furore.

Velvet Undergound drummer Moe Tucker joins the tea party. As Alexis Petridis says the New york rockers were never part of the hippy movement, but surely no one around in 1967 watching them could have predicted that one of their member would join such a reactionary movement.