Jun 15
It’s Still All About Ronaldo, Love
If you draw a timeline of transfer related headlines concerning Ronaldo, since the Champions’ League final — which we won, by the way — and list them all, you will see that there hasn’t been anything concrete, till date, for someone to conclusively predict where Ronaldo will ply his trade next season.
That said, it isn’t surprising either.
The Sunday Mirror is in speculation-land heaven, as it sticks its neck so high that it’s in… umm… heaven. Ronaldo to stay in Manchester, it reckons. Of course, some “source” tries its best to add colour to a slow Sunday morning.
But it can’t quite match the Guardian, which is sure that Ronaldo had already struck deals with Madrid “months ago”. Of course, instead of their source just being a source — as it was the case with the Mirror — the Guardian takes it a step further by mentioning that the source is a senior personality at Manchester United. Sorry, I know there’s no smoke without fire, but I need to know the source of the fire before deciding if the smoke really mattered.
And just as we were thinking that, regardless of Ronaldo’s sale, we would still have a sizeable transfer kitty, the Mirror bursts our bubble claiming SAF will be forced to look at bargain options like Santa Cruz.
It goes on to prove its red hot form by saying we are in direct battle with Arsenal for the Paraguayan’s signature.
That should be the end of another short one. Precious little to talk about, although a word for the Dutch who were irrepressible. Robben is some player when fit, and Kuyt looks a different player now.
Over to you…
Related items from Red Rants:- Keegan ‘I’d Love It’ Returns To Geordie-land. Heh!
- Transfer Rumours: Bardsley to Everton/Ibrahimovic
- Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal: Ronaldo Returns
- Ronaldo Speaks… Finally
- Manchester United 07/08 Away Kit
Tags: Daily Roundup
June 15th, 2008 at 12:35
hmm, the guardian says he struck a deal with madrid months ago, a day after photos of ron allegedly with real officials come out, what a coincidence.
June 15th, 2008 at 13:22
Anybody else getting a little sick of all the media, and everybody everywhere rejoicing over what they see as our clubs downfall, like a pack of wolves they are over a carcas?. Weeks of glee resonated over Ronaldo/Madrid, satifying themselves over Fergie’s so called contact cut off from Ronnie. Then magnifying the loss of Ramsey, as yet another Fergie/United failure to get their man. And Ramsey himself taking up paper space ever since, pontificating about making the right choice, LIKE HE HAD PROVED HIMSELF TO BE A GREAT FOOTBALLER already. Please……………………..
We have not been aloud by the media, and all global opponents to enjoy a summer of partying over our double success. Instead of us making the press for our great season, the United faithful have had to endure story after story, gloating after gloating of our so called ineptitude and wrangling’s over Ronaldo, and small fry Ramsey, and yes RR that is what he is to me til he proves otherwise. How do we know his going to Arsenal isn’t a blessing in disguise?. Hands up if after all this dross, you still want CR7 at United, my hand is down by the way. Because of his failure to come out and say I am staying/I am going, which is simple really, and keep saying it continually until the message gets home, this is what we fans have had to put up with. Anybody who chants CR7s name at United next season, if he decides to humble us with his so called great presence, shame on them!. As one who loved CR7 and chanted with the best of them, and I’m now encouraging every United fan I know to remain silent when he has the ball, scores etc. Once again apologies to all you forgiving CR7 supporters on this blog.
June 15th, 2008 at 13:30
hoho..as for me..ronaldo is no longer man utd player..hopefully SAF also feel the same and sell him to rmadrid..he is a great player but short of loyalty and heart for man utd..
June 15th, 2008 at 13:30
think Kuyt is still shite- he just fits Hollands system perfectly.
I wish we had a bunch of players from same nation in these championships.
Looks like Huntelaars made his mind up that Madrids his preferd destination…..& it aint no suprise really.
Robben shneider, ruud…theyve all been sellin the club n now his mind is set!
I dont see this as coincidence at all. Its another sickenly shrude move from the cunts in white.
Think we really missed a trick with Klaas. hes perfect for us……….same goes with shneider. We could have got him for 2/3 years (he’s been playin at his current level this long) for £8-10 mil but we never.
Doesnt take a genius to realise he IS the new Scholes……………….Only with two feet!
June 15th, 2008 at 14:25
ronaldo will go this year or next so we should go for messi unsettle him at barcelona and we could get him for around £40-50mil he would be a better player at united also. we should get villa he has done great in the euros but nobody wants to come to united huntelaar to madrid alves to barcelona ramsey to arsenal benzema does not want to play in england, who to go for? i say ramos pricey but he has opened the door to us and we would have the best defense in the world with him
June 15th, 2008 at 14:33
was aaron ramsey worth moaning about nowadays if a young player has ONE good game they are the next big player but it always ends up being the players you dont expect e.g rooney was meant to be the next pele and ronaldo just a replacement for beckham but now ronaldo is better than rooney ,ronaldinho only started playing good at 23 not 18. fabregas is a good player this year but wenger was going to sell him last year?
June 15th, 2008 at 14:34
One can say that the talented acquisitive -the so called Ronaldo- is like Manchester United.Hated in his own place.Can’t wait to see him play in white shirt , Real Marid that is.
EURO 2008
Do you think France deserved to lose this way? I mean 4-1? No way.A penalty was not given and the dutch national team has the same luck we -the greek national team- had in 2004.They score 1 goal for every 5 shots they make and they give a goal away for every 30 shots their opponets do.
I mentioned Greece.Well,Nikopolidis was awful yesterday.This guy was voted as the best in Euro 2004 and he really was great.But that go-swimming rushing out ability is rediculous.I mean, what the fck did he have in his mind and where was the defence when needed?
P.S. I ‘ve always told you that villa should be our first choice…decades before Euro started…decades before he was born
June 15th, 2008 at 14:43
I think the guardian story may be coming directly from Marca who published something simerlar a few days back according to one of the sites that brings all the paper gossip in one place (cant recall which site it was though)
@one I’ve said this to others but where’s the proof of any Disloyalty from Ronaldo. Any confirmable comment from Ronaldo has him stating he wants to stay. The closest these confirmable comments come to showing any disloyalty is him stating he cant predict the future but that he does dream of playing for Real one day. But these comments are no worse than Keane would spout about Celtic each year or for that matter what Tevez has been saying all season (That he wants to rejoin Boca at his Peak and he wants play in spain before the end of his career). For the same comments should we consider Tevez to no longer be a united player and want his head on a stick like people seem to want Ronaldos?
Alot of players support other clubs and will have dreams of playing for them should they offer them the level of Football they desire and many players are very open about this but that doesnt mean they cant do a job for the club and be fully committed when they pull on the shirt.
@Craig Mc - I’m still curious as to what you expect him to say. ATM its a situation thats being fabricated by the press as theres been no offer made. As I said above he has said he wants to stay on more than one occasion and those comments are confirmable unlike the comments from the other side. If this was many other players the minute he said he would like to stay it would have been dropped, as its a United player and its Real involved who like to play the media they have kept doing everything they can to try and get a story
Now do I think he would turn them down if United accepted an offer, probably not as it is his dream which is why we havent seen any sure fire comments like we have from Torres over the chelsea speculation BUT even the comments associated with him saying he wants to join real hardly express a pressing desire to quit the club more a if the clubs can agree I would be intrested in fulfilling my dream but I’m happy at United attitude.
Until he comes out and demands a transfer or makes confirmable comments that are stronger than the confirmable comments that say he wants to stay he should be given the benefit of the doubt
June 15th, 2008 at 15:15
Hey ppl if ronaldo goes to madrid, imagine real’s line up
casillas
ramos cannavaro pepe (or whoever) heinze
ronaldo a holding mf sneijder robben
raul ruud
don’t you think that this team would leak goals with a defence like that… no way they would win the champions league with a defence like that…
June 15th, 2008 at 15:29
do madrid play 4-4-2?, i thought they played a 4-1-1-3-1.
June 15th, 2008 at 15:44
hmmm yes i just wanted to say what would their first 11…
June 15th, 2008 at 15:51
That mirror article whether true or false really got me down about the team’s proposed financial state. I personally feel there is a lot of validity to it because it explains a lot about what has been going on……or should I say what hasn’t been going on. The Glazer’s debt is keeping Fergie from going after the high priced talent because we don’t have the transfer kitty we normally have and can normally count on to compete with the big clubs. Instead we are in the market to battle for scraps with Arsene Wenger. This may be (and I emphasize the word MAY) an obvious sign of what we have to look for in the future. This club may be in more debt than the Glazer’s can handle due to the alarming increase and instability of world interest rates. So from having a 50 to 60 million transfer kitty, we are probably reduced to 20 or 30 million. Just my guess and there is no solid proof here but sometimes you just have to go with gut instinct. We’ve already missed out on many of our targets. Why? Because we could not afford what our competitors paid for those players. Now we stand to lose either Huntelaar, Villa, Benzema, Richards, etc because we just can’t match the offers of our competitors. Sure I’m only guessing here and playing the role of Devil’s advocate but I may actually be correct. In past years I couldn’t see Fergie settling for the likes of Fabiano or Santa Cruz over the more attractive and higher priced strikers out there in the market.
The opposite to all this doom and gloom is the other article by the Mirror which states that Ronaldo will stay. Whether it’s BS or not, hats off to them for actually printing a positive article for Man Utd fans to read for a change. If Ronaldo was willing and ready to accept the fact that he is going nowhere, this would alleviate a lot of the foreseeable problems for the club on the field. It does not help the team with it’s debt but it would keep us competitive although, I still think we would be regressing unless we signed a top line striker. Bottom line here is that we need Ronaldo to stay if indeed we have no money to buy the right players for this club. From the sounds of things, one player purchase would replace Ronaldo and as we all know, there isn’t a player alive that can replace him by himself.
Too use a famous quote from Star Wars, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this”. This is fast turning into the summer of horror for United fans. And not an official peep out of United or Ronaldo to clearly verify where we stand. Just a lot of conjecture and tall tales made up by unscrupulous media sources doing their best to wind us up. It would be nice if Fergie or Gill came out publicly in a news conference and put our worries and concerns to rest or at least confirmed them. This not knowing anything for sure is personally killing me. I honestly wished I didn’t give a damn, but I do. Signing one of the strikers on my want list and not the bargain basement list would go a long way to making me and millions of others feel a lot better and more secure. Come on United!
June 15th, 2008 at 15:54
looks like silvestre is set to leave either to bordeaux or roma… in that case we definitely need a left back… and i just have a hunch that you know who won’t be leaving this summer.. I don’t think each and every Madrid player would be coming out and saying things like he’d be great in Madrid ( and that son of bitch Heinze has said that Ronaldo is next to God in footballing ability) if a deal has already been sealed as these BS theories claim….
June 15th, 2008 at 16:01
Craig; That’s a good point. I laugh when I hear or read some say that Chelsea is now the most hated team in Britain. Bull Crap! Manchester United is still the most hated team in Britain because it has decades of success over the rest of the country while Chelsea have had two bloody years to play in their pig slop. The media in England clearly hate United and are envious of the club’s continued success. As most of them are London based, they have become very territorial when it comes to protecting the interests and dealings of Large London based clubs while constantly going after both us and Liverpool, with us getting the majority of the hate and jealousy. It has not done us any good and it may have also caused foreign players to rethink options of moving to OT. I call it nothing more than sabotage, whether or not that comes across as paranoid or not.
As for your feelings about CR7 and how we should act when he has the ball, lets wait and actually see the guy in a press conference tell us what he is actually thinking and what his intentions are. Then we can act accordingly thereafter. Despite my tirades and dislike towards him for all this, I still want to hear what he has to say with his voice, not somebody else’s. This whole soap opera is gotten way out of hand and I think it will cause us further damage once the new season starts, whether CR7 stays or goes.
June 15th, 2008 at 16:04
ok…im not getting the point here groggy…
Man Utd is based in England…where the local currency is priced far higher than a euro(which i believe the spanish trade in)…so spending 15 million is equivalent to them spending 22 odd million euro…so are’nt we in an advantage then?
what i am trying to imply here is that if we(or any other english club) put in a bid for the player a team from outside england would be forced to pay more in their local currency for the same player..are’nt at an advantage then groggy…the term priced out cant be used then can it?
June 15th, 2008 at 16:09
Krishnan; Rela Madrid’s lineup does absolutely nothing for me. Cannavaro has been very ordinary since joining Real. Pepe has actually been a disappointment up to now and Heinze is a shadow of the player he was at United when we first got him. Ramos is a fine player but I still pick Wes Brown over him. Especially after Ibrahimovich’s goal yesterday. van Nistelrooy is a great player but his best years are three or four years in the past and Robben had slivers in his backside from all the games he spent sitting on the bench due to his less than stellar play. Raul is still a decent player but he is ancient and not the the threat you need to win in the Champions league. For me, the only players of true quality left at Real Madrid are Sneijder and Cassilas. Guti, Iguain and all the others wouldn’t start on any of the top 4 clubs in the Prem. Ronaldo would greatly improve their fortunes assuming of course they don’t lose players in the deal to get him. And really, how much more can they go out and buy after they break the bank to get Ronaldo? Even they have to have a limit to their spending. If Ronaldo leaves for Madrid, he is going to a far inferior team than United both on and off the field.
June 15th, 2008 at 16:18
vishMANutd; That’s assuming that you even have that kind of money to spend. Exchange rates are in England’s favor but foreign teams and agents negotiate to best suit themselves and not the English club’s they are dealing with. That doesn’t take away from the fact that we cannot compete right now with the bigger clubs in Spain, Italy, Bayern Munich and Chelsea when it comes to having the money to buy the top players. Our debt and the interest payments incurred by that debt are severely hurting our team’s purchasing and selling potential. Regardless of whether Real or Inter pay in Euros, they have way more Euros to spend than United have Pounds or the equivalent in Euros.
United need to come out and make a clear statement of the team’s financial status and future to put to rest any concerns Man Utd fans have towards this large debt and the teams future purchasing power. The team cannot afford to compete if it ’s year end is in the red like this year.
June 15th, 2008 at 17:18
He’s leaving and nothing can stop him (unless he breaks his leg tomorrow). I say let him off, think of the players you could buy with £70m(or whatever fee). Try to get Sergio Ramos involved in a player + money deal and if that doesn’t work just use the money to get a right back, a striker and maybe a keeper
June 15th, 2008 at 17:32
I HOPE CHELSEA GET TORRES CAUSE GERRARD WILL BREAK HIS LEG BEFORE HE GOES. Oh and also because with Torres away from Liverpool their chances of getting Villa will decrease significantly. The Ronaldo price-tag thing keeps repeating itself.
SUMMARY OF WHAT 3/4 OF THE PEOPLE HERE WANT FOR RONALDO: Mister Sergio Ramos/Robinho/Sneijder + Cash.
We got it already! =P
June 15th, 2008 at 17:49
mufcfan, I don’t go along with none of the worlds top players want to come to United. Only recently Huntelaar before he ever mentioned Madrid, came out in the press and said he was glad to be linked with Man Utd, and was interested in joining us if we went in for him. Problem is, like Grog says, United ignored him and didn’t go in to get him. So he started talking about Madrid, the other team to declare interest in him. Robinho,Ramos,Veloso, and Kaka have all mentioned they were flattered to be linked with us. I do believe though, that Utd have a lot of players who have fell foul of Fergie, who speak ill about our club now. Esp Ruud VNR, Stam, and a very bitter Heinze, who has never got over losing the battle he waged against Fergie. Fergie hasn’t helped either, by stating emphatically United would sit Ronaldo in the stands, if he didn’t want to keep his contact with us. This has made players afraid, that if they sign contracts with United, they are not going to get out of them UNLESS UNITED SAY SO. While I respect the club for that, it can have a fear effect on those who love a ‘get out’ clause!!!. Yet I still think that many top players would come to us, if we went for them. Grog, I am not sure you are totally right about Fergie not having enough funds to buy who he wants. The Glazers and David Gill have said emphatically, that if Fergie wants a certain player, the club will do all in their power to get him. I read an article in the telegraph once, that said Glazer had the funds to clear our debt, but that was not the way business is done. The money they have as capital which would cover the debt and clear it, is invested and the interest is used to pay off the interest of the loan. So all is not what it seems maybe!. By the way Grog, it’s worth mentioning too, that there have been offers by others to buy out the Glazers, and United is a powerful and greatly desired commodity for the Multi Billionaires of this world. There are a lot more Abramovich’s out there wanting to buy into the big four clubs. So if Glazer’s fail to manage the debt, they have offers on the table.
Wakey, I accept your sentiments mate, and respect your opinion, but I still believe CR7 has wronged the club and us fans. He has been double minded for a while now in making clear his intentions. How do you know that Madrid have not made a bid for him to United?. Unless they had, how could Calderon say that the player is not for sale. Surely he wouldn’t just be going by media gossip. He will have got a clear indication and confirmed by United in the letters they have sent to Madrid, that Ronaldo is not for sale at any price, and our club do not appreciste their not letting go, not accepting the reality. Believe me Madrid have made their offers, which have been firmly refused. As for what do I expect of CR7 Wakey, I expected him to be clear about where he DESIRES to play next season, and end the speculation by making a clear statement of intent. That will never materialise, until realising that he cannot get out of his United contract, and then it will be all cap in hand, I always wanted to stay HONEST. That will never wash with me Wakey, sorry.
June 15th, 2008 at 18:11
Thats absolutely right Craig… even if he comes out now and stays on for another season or 2, whatever that has happened so far has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the fans… I don’t think that would leave even if ronaldo has a blinder of a season…
June 15th, 2008 at 18:31
[wakey]
I’ve said it again, and wil repeat it now. If Ronaldo were to have said that he wanted to move to Madrid much earlier I wouldn’t have held a grudge against him.You give examples of Keane and Tevez, but they have never put their short term plans under as much doubt as Ronaldo. If you ask them for assurances if they’ll be staying at United for the next season they will say a big yes. If it’s evidence you are looking for, I saw the journalist asking Ronaldo a day or two after the final when he said I can’t give any assurances about where I will be next season. He said, “I’ll stay but you never know”. Why the “you never know” when either I want to stay this season or I want to leave for Madrid would have been better? Or if he couldn’t say it that soon then why couldn’t he have said so in a week?
He hasn’t spoken yet, which is the cause of my disappointment. So anything he’ll say from now on won’t matter a jot to me now. He’ll need to use a lot more than words to make me come around on my stand on him.
June 15th, 2008 at 19:02
@redranter
yup..same thing i want to say actually..
which team you guys pick tonight? turkey or czech? as for me i will go for turkey (following my sentiment as muslim)hoho..
June 15th, 2008 at 19:55
I like how that line up looks for portugal, Nani on the right and Quaresma on the left. hmmmm
June 15th, 2008 at 21:38
i predicted a turkish win, now im £400 pounds up
June 15th, 2008 at 21:58
vishMANutd/Grognard: The current exchange rate situation is acting against United. The British pound has weakened significantly against the Euro in recent times.
June 15th, 2008 at 22:19
Craig; I definitely see your points but my question to you is where were all these rich prospective buyers when the team was originally sold to the Glazer’s? Wouldn’t we be better off if we were sold to someone who didn’t have to borrow the money to make it happen? I agree that there should be buyers out there but if the Glazer’s were forced to sell, who would want to buy a team that was heavily in debt? Arab sheiks I guess.
I do believe the reason for why United has not pulled off a meaningful transfer in 12 months is because we don’t have the money to compete and I do agree 100% that former alumni have spoken badly of Fergie and the team because they have left with bitterness and resentment. This is not those player’s fault but Fergie’s. He mishandled the way he treated Beckham, Stam and van Nistelrooy and all those players left on very bad terms. I don’t think Becks has said anything bad to teammates but I am sure Stam, RVN and Heinze have poisoned many players views of life at OT under the Fergie regime. Many people think he is old school but they fail to realize how great he is with his players and how much they learn under him. Up until they lose their future value and he feels it’s time to off load them or if they rebel against one of his decisions. The reason he has this kind of baggage and reputation isn’t because there is anything wrong with Fergie. It’s that very few other managers in the footballing world have had a 20 year tenure with one club therefore they cannot form the reputation and foundation that he has at United. His tenure and security gives players insecurity.
I don’t really know what united can do to improve their reputation amongst superstar players in the world. Everyone admires the team’s history, it’s accomplishments and the way they play the game but playing for Fergie and living in Manchester, so far away from their own culture I think is daunting and frightening for many of them. Only a regime change with a European manager will change this climate. But none of us of course are looking forward to that. Nope, Fergie has to start looking for players who play in countries where United’s reputation as well as his is strong and positive. Spain and Italy is definitely not the place to go if you want to sign players of quality if you are Manchester United. I’d like to say I am wrong about this but I have strong feeling that much of what I say has validity. I’m sure Fergie would say I’m full of BS, and that would be cool because it would give me more optimism.
June 15th, 2008 at 22:22
Petr Cech! Petr Cech! What on Earth was that all about? He really has had an indifferent year. All those head trauma’s have made him an average to good goalkeeper. And people make fun of an occasional Lehmann or EVDS flub. That was a choke big time. Let’s dub him Calamity Cech.
June 15th, 2008 at 22:23
JB; That’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure. It makes more sense thinking about it from that point of view.
June 15th, 2008 at 23:03
I actually feel sorry for Petr Cech. He’s one of the good guys in the Chelsea team. Scum like Terry and Drogba deserve career-defining moments of failure, and the ensuing misery, but not players like Cech. He’s always struck me as very respectful and his recent comments where he urged Ronaldo to stay at United, lead me to believe he’s a decent guy.
June 15th, 2008 at 23:24
OK, I didn’t actually see this myself but I got it from a reliable source on another forum.
ITV4 were showing the Portugal vs. Switzerland game tonight. They showed a snippet of an interview with Ronaldo from after the Czech Republic game.
When asked the question is he going to stay at United Cristiano responded by saying….
“I want, but I talk more after the Euros”
Now I wonder why the media haven’t built that interview up more?
June 15th, 2008 at 23:35
@redaddict
tht news jus doesnt sell… so they don’t build up on it, fuckin cunts!
June 16th, 2008 at 0:46
Argentina lucky to get a draw against Ecuador today. 1-1 final score. Riquelme looks a shadow of his former self.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:43
Where do the media get all the crap they post from??? Its really depressing, now theres reports from daily mirror saying Fergie ill quit United, if the Glaziers sell Ronaldo behind his back.
About how much we have or don’t have in our transfer budget, i remember Fergie saying we had 50 million to spend and i think this was before we won anything, so where’s all that gone?
June 16th, 2008 at 2:17
Rd, pull yourself together man and stop being hysterical. The Daily Mirror ffs. The Daily Mirror should only be used when you’ve absolutely run out of toilet paper and under no other circumstances.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:27
Just1n; Riquelme just returned from an injury that has kept him out for a while. He was just rusty.
RedAddict; Problem is, you can’t use the Daily Mirror online for toilet paper. Monitors don’t work well when used like that.
Seriously though, we should all just take a two week break and stop reading all this shit online and in the rags. It is depressing and we will all have nervous breakdowns before the season starts. So lets make a pact to avoid this crap. Can all of you do that????????
I rather doubt it.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:05
A bit off topic but can’t restrain from mentioning here…
With the 2nd string team Portugal lined up yesterday Euro fantasy’s Matchday3 is heading for a disaster.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:46
we hammered,nani was the only bright spot in my eyes
June 16th, 2008 at 9:18
grognard
you can forget about huntelaar coming to united! For it seems he is pimping himself to the great circus that is called Real Madrid!!!
And I guess all is so quiet on the transfer front as far as we are concerned is because Fergie has learnt from the past (Chelsea do nothing but ‘poach’ our targets - Essien, Ballack, Bosingwa, Obi wan etc) In case the player coming is not a naturalized utd fan I would expect arrival to be kept very quiet till it is complete!!!
June 16th, 2008 at 10:10
Okay the fixtures are out -
We have Newcastle at home as our first game of the season. Not bad I say - I would love to see a 6-0 repeat!
June 16th, 2008 at 10:38
But we also have Liverpool and Chelsea away in games 4 and 5… tough start. On the other hand, it means we have them at home in the business part of the season, which isn’t too bad. We won’t loose away to any of them anyway, so I’m not too concerned.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:51
Given that Chelsea and Pool could have a good number of new players ‘bedding in’ it might be good to get them out of the way early. Nice not to have Chelsea at the end of the season this year!
I see the Berbatov rumours are back. I still rate him despite his reputation for laziness. He is aware, strong with probably the best touch in the prem. The possiblity of having him and Rooney up front is pretty mouth-watering, especially given that he is used to playing with someone quite similar (Keane) and used to the premiership. I wonder if he could be part of a front 3 with Tevez and Rooney flanking him. Would be interesting to see how he would fit.
Heard that Park might need more surgery, that really dissapoints me. He added so much to the team at hte tail end of the season, and I’ve really been waiting for his ‘breaking’ year when he’d fulfill his promise. Looks like another year to wait, and he’s not getting any younger.
If we do get Berba, do we really need any other attacking players if Ronaldo leaves? We would still have Rooney, Tevez, Park, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Saha, Wellbeck - seems pretty decent to me. I would argue the only other thing we need is a quality back up defender, someone who can play LB/RB/CB if needed, cause with Silly on his way somewhere we’re woefully short of cover. Any Sunderland fans catch much of Evans’ year?
June 16th, 2008 at 11:12
Yeeay, Newcastle! 7-0?
June 16th, 2008 at 11:54
Beachryan - Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere. But I agree with you that Berca and Rooney could be a very dangerous combination, especially because Rooney would get his natural position back. And with Tevez running around as well, we’ll have so many different options, and we’d be able to mix it up real good needed. Imagine how difficult we’d be to contain with such a diversity.
Atm the player I’d like the most at our club is Sergio Ramos. I’ve said in here several times that Real would never part with him, and I still believe that to be true. It’s only my wishful thinking, because I think he could be absolutely great at RB at OT. He’s got such energy and skill. He won’t come, but I sure would like it, if he did. But based on his comment recently, and compared to what Ronaldo has said, there’s similar chance of him coming here as Ronaldo going there. They have both said something like “we’ll see what happens after the Euros”, so I guess, we’ll never know.
That brings me back to the eternal question - how much money do we have to spend?
It’s impossible to know, but I think, we have plenty of pounds to go around. The succes last season will have generated so much money that it’s only up to SAF to say how much he wants to spend.
I’m not even sure that offloading players will have an impact on our kitty. This season, as well as last, the offloading haven’t been done because of a money issue, it’s been done to optimize the squad, and that’ll be the case this time as well. SAF will want to part with players, who he won’t use. That means, SAF will try to sell players in the positions he bring new players in for. If he buys Berba, he’ll sell Saha. He’s sold Pique, which in my logic means he’ll buy a versatile defender (hence the Ramos rumours). Any other position to be strengthened? - I doubt it.
Expect a great versatile defender and an exquisite striker… I hope. Ramos and Benzema are first on my list, but since Benzema seems to be staying, Berba would be my second choice. Second choice to Ramos… I have no idea.
I do not bite into the idea that we don’t have any money because of the global economic downfall. Our club is way too well run for that to happen, and we have way too much succes.
June 16th, 2008 at 12:24
LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER U. September 13 or 14
CHELSEA - MANCHESTER U. September 20 or 21
That’s bad. Normally,there’s an “international break” in the start of September.Just after this break we play Liverpool and Chelsea AWAY.
That’s difficult.BUT VERY ENTERTAINING.
Manchester vs. Newcastle (great Altraford customers)
——–4——————-0———-
June 16th, 2008 at 12:34
We have Liverpool then Chelsea away the folllowing week!!
Also Arsenal 2nd to last game seems typical!!
June 16th, 2008 at 12:38
With Park looking like he will be out long term again then the need for a winger has just got more important. Bring in Arshaven. Berbatov for the striker and whoever for defence!! We will keep Ronaldo for certain.
I read Joe Cole could become available, anyone rate him??
June 16th, 2008 at 13:09
joe cole is the worst starter in the top 4.worse than eboue and giggs.
on the ronaldo topic,he is staying.but should he leave we have enough cover.no need for hate messages already.
June 16th, 2008 at 13:16
Ryan I think we need to look at our defense. If Silvestre leaves then we will be short of cover at the back.
Berbatov is too old. This United team is young. I think we need someone like Villa or Benzema.
That goal Villa scored was a proper pouchers goal. If he goes to Liverpool they will be force next season not just in the scousers minds for a change!
June 16th, 2008 at 13:16
I think I’d lose faith in United completely if they signed Joe Cole. Demonstrates all that is bad about Chelsea. And while he does have some talent, just doesn’t have the temperament forme.
June 16th, 2008 at 13:28
DoniBrasco you is crazy. Joe Cole is miles better than Eboue
June 16th, 2008 at 13:31
I’ve been watching the Brazil-Paraguay game and ive been very impressed by Cabanas. Difficult to mark, good movement, great physical presence. Not world class but a cheap option and would be a useful third striker.
June 16th, 2008 at 13:32
[Beachryan]
Yup, I agree. Getting Joe Cole would be like a step backwards..I would just hate that.
Don’t think Villa is an option for us, though he looks exciting. We would have a hobbit trilogy upfront and though I love trilogies, I don’t think this one would be very successful. Huntelaar or Berba for me.
June 16th, 2008 at 13:41
MCRx3 - You do know that Berbatov and Villa are not far apart age wise? Berbatov is born 30 January 1981, and David Villa is born 3 December 1981, so I don’t think you can play the age card on Berbatov.
Can’t see how Liverpool can afford Villa. He’ll cost £30 mil, and they certainly don’t have that kind of money. They’ll buy Barry for £15 mil or so and have already spent £9 mil on Dossena. Yes they’ll sell Alonso, Riise and maybe Crouch, but that money will go to finance Barry, Dossena and possibly some other tosser not worth mentioning.
They won’t be a force to reckon with next year. In stead they should look over their shoulder even more than last season.
June 16th, 2008 at 13:48
Ryan - I can’t find anywhere that says, Park will be out for a long time. What the news says is that he felt something in his knee, and that he’ll miss the next game for his national side. The medical staff are hopeful that it’s not too serious… doesn’t say long term to me.
June 16th, 2008 at 14:08
I think I’ve found the solution to the Ronaldo crisis…hear me out.
United don’t want to sell, and are unimpressed about the way Real have gone about the dealings, so really don’t want to sell to them.
Fergie is also not one to be crossed, or to give into demands.
Ronaldo wants more cash, a bigger celebrity status and to be the focal point of a team.
He also wants some better weather, and a great exciting city to live in.
He also seems to like an all white uniform.
And he wants to go from being the best player in the premiership to the best player in another league.
The solution is obvious.
We sell Ronaldo for a world-record fee to….
LA Galaxy.
Everyone wins.
Except Real.
June 16th, 2008 at 14:40
Tomas: I’m sure I read on manutd.com that Park was going for tests on a problem with the same knee - With what we have experienced with Solskjaer and Saha in the past with their knees im never confident about knee injuries, hopefully he will be okay as he is a great squad player.
MCRx3: I think its a dead cert we will be bringing in a defender this summer, we already have Neville back from injury and Evans back from his loan but yes one more player is needed esp if Silvestre leaves.
On Joe Cole im not saying we should sign him, there are better players who will be cheaper but ive never really understood him as a player. Great talent just needs to realise it, and stood acting like a dick on the pitch….
On Benzema and Villa - neither want to play in England so stop saying we should sign them as its not gonna happen! Huntelaar is also not on Fergies radar as he would have moved for him by now, surely?
June 16th, 2008 at 16:01
Beachryan - I dont think anyone here or Fergie is fearing the prospect of Ronaldo playing against us for Real Madrid. Fergie was trying to build a young team around the trio of Ronaldo,Rooney and Tevez…So he wants to keep the core team at OT and bring in Richards/Huntelaar and put on a young attacking team with a rock- like defense…which would only win things for ManUtd…
If Ronaldo wants to leave, who cares where he is heading…Let him be at Real or LA or Sporting …doesnt matter!!!
June 16th, 2008 at 17:03
Ronaldo wont be leaving, we wont sell him and nor will he ask for a transfer. If united accept an offer he will be happy to join madrid but if we reject an offer he will be happy to stay. There is no more to this saga than that. So much bullshit being blown up in the press its unreal and so many people believing what they read. Ronaldo is the best player in the world and we want the best players in the world at our club, im desperate for him to stay and to be honest and so disapointed at the amount of people just throwing him in the rubbish tip like he is just another player. Whilst he has not helped the situation by saying real is his dream club(which we have ALWAYS known) he has also said he will be happy to stay. He loves the limelight and he is certainly getting that everyday!!!!
June 16th, 2008 at 17:21
People are putting too much weight in the “who knows” part. Ronaldo has always been fairly realistic on things relating to his future and often ends any statements on his future with a “who knows” line. Look at any of his comments since joining us relating to his dream of playing for Real. They are littered with lines like “you can predict the future” and “dreams dont always come true”.
Football is after all a business and is also unpredictable and you would be foolish as a player not to acknowledge that. Just look at Owen for a perfect example, he didnt really want to leave Liverpool but Liverpool accepted the offer and gave him little choice.
He has said he wants to stay more than once, something he stated again last night and thats all that should matter. However as he has stated you never know what will happen as when the offer comes in United may consider it and may even accept it and under those circumstances ofc hes going to consider joining his dream club. Like us fans though he is in limbo, until Real either call off their propaganda hounds and announce they arent after him or put in a bid and give United something more than Rumours to make a decison on then his future is uncertain to Ronaldo and to us
June 16th, 2008 at 18:32
Just for the sake of my own clarification, why does no one rate Sergio Ramos defensively? I dont think hes that bad, and surely there are worse. Even our own left back Pat wasnt all taht of a defensive minded full back before he came here, but we’ve seemed to made him into one of the Better, if not the best, left backs in the game. Why would we not be able to do that with Ramos? Then we will have the two best attacking fullbacks in football and they wont be a defensive liability.
June 16th, 2008 at 21:20
If Silvestre does leave then only one full back should be bought and that is Lahm who can play at LB and RB.
Shyam - that was a joke from Beachryan
Beachryan - LOL
June 17th, 2008 at 2:17
The owner of this blog is really cool. i like his attitude and intake on things, similar to what i innately want to say but don’t know how to at times. Im sick of all this constant speculation.. sooner or later i am going to stop reading what the papers say. it’s all a loada rubbish.
The RM pic wasn’t with RM but some bodyguards and his personal fitness instructor - Walter Di Salvo whose program Ronaldo is still on.
Roma interested in Tweety/Peanut head and Sicknote-Saha.. I’d be happy with £10m for the 2 + 5m in instalments.. Now where’s my cheque book?
P.s. Lahm signed a new deal with Bayern just before the Euros…
July 11th, 2008 at 11:24
it’s a gud post. But in your next post plz tell about Ronaldo’s Love Story. Either he loves someone or not..
I mean either he loves any girl or not.
I don’t think like Yuvraj singh from indian Cricket, he has some affairs with girls..
hehehe…:)
plz about this in your next post.