All papers are awash with news that Ronaldo is going to decide his future in about ‘two days’. There’s no need for me to provide a link; just head off to any decent football website and you will see the report.

Now let me tell you this: I have resolved to steer clear of Ronaldo speculation for the rest of this week. In the sense that I would only report news if there are any, but will not add any more of my opinions on whether Ronaldo must stay or not. I’ve had enough of things right now, and I am certain that nothing will get resolved until the Euro’s get over.

Of course, those of you interested in speculating, be my guest but also be prepared for a long month of doing that. Because, regardless of Ronaldo’s imminent decison over the next couple of days, he will still be linked to Madrid till July.

Continue reading

I wanted to actually title the post: “Sepptic Bladder’s Piss Poor Plan” [hope you get the pun], but decided against it at the last moment. Oh well.

So it’s official now, at least from the folks at FIFA. Some 155 members voted in favour of what could change the dynamics of the sport.

Now we usually don’t have general footy articles here, but this is certainly relevant to every club. According to the plan each club must play a minimum of six national players. So in the case of English clubs it would mean 6 English players — not British. [So the O'Sheas and Fletchers don't count]

Continue reading

Does it concern you that our own Pele seems to lose it once in a while? Well, it scares the hell out of cabbage man Capello*. Actually Wayne Rooney has been well behaved considering his history. But Capello seems to fear for his England team mates because of the way he lunges into tackles. It’s always good to see a top manager talk sense into one of our star players, although it must be unnerving for Rooney to be listening to what is essentially a cabbage [for all 'its' merits].

Oh, and England beat the United States a couple of days ago in a snore fest. Actually it wasn’t the game that was unbearable to watch. But it was watching John Terry big up his big-match credentials in his post match that was a little hard to stomach, not to mention, the collective efforts of the whole media machine to whip up John Terry’s efforts into a frenzy. “He should courage to bounch back“, “A true fighter“, “I am a big game player“. Give me a fucking break!

That said, I don’t know why I even talked about the England-USA game on a United blog.

Continue reading

Two years ago, few people would have predicted Manchester United’s return to the top of world football. Ferguson had just sold Ruud van Nisterlooy and then refused to replace him with another striker, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United was under a cloud of uncertainty following his antics against England in the World Cup quarter-final. Furthermore, many thought that Michael Carrick was not a solution to Manchester United’s midfield weaknesses.

But, two years on we look at what has happened since the summer van Nisterlooy had left the club and stand amazed. The departure of the big Dutchman has allowed Manchester United to develop a fast, free-flowing style of football; the jeers aimed at Ronaldo every other game in the Premier League have inspired the Portuguese winger to become the world’s best player; and, Micael Carrick has proven to be worth every penny of those £18.6 million spent on him.

Continue reading

Welcome back. We’re officially done with the 07/08 season and we’ll tread no man’s land for the next couple of months.

Thankfully, the Euros will provide for some distraction from the ennui that will surely descend on the summer. People will die — not from the heat, but from frantically refreshing news websites looking for the latest breaking news on transfers.

Continue reading

Sir Alex has recently said that Real Madrid has no moral issues whatsoever when it comes to approaching other players. If you want to read the whole thing click here [there is also a video excerpt of Fergie's press conference, for the same, in that page].

I touched upon Ronaldo’s “will he wont he” routine very briefly in earlier posts, but couldn’t devote enough space for it because of the Champions’ League hoopla. So here’s a more detailed account of what I think about the whole situation.

Continue reading

One more day before the lads march onto the Luzhniki stadium. Strangely I am not yet all that excited. Well, I am, but I’m not crapping my pants as much as I did prior to the second leg semi against Barcelona.

It is our biggest night since ’99, I know. But, perhaps, the moment and the magnitude of the occasion might get to me tomorrow? Maybe it’s because we’ve already won the league? I don’t know. But I find myself surprisingly calm.

Continue reading

Hope Monday’s treating you all well. It’s not a day usually known for its kindness, but hey, who’s stopping you from hoping.

Quiet day otherwise and very little by way of United related news or transfer gossip for that matter.

Continue reading

Late, late post today but I was out late the night before which meant waking up late in the morning. But better late than never, so here’s the roundup for the day.

Continue reading

A very good morning to you all. Assuming you did manage to wake up on a Saturday morning, sober enough to read this.

As the days draw ever so close to the Champions’ League final, news comes from Moscow as police from the Russian capital outline their plans for tackling fan violence.

It’s good to see that local police are taking steps for the fans’ safety, but the ban on public drinking and the absence of outdoor TV screens will not sit too kindly with the travelling folk. That said, the club has clearly warned United fans against travelling to Moscow if they had no ticket.

Continue reading