Jul 03
The Battle of Ankles Deep and the Dark Forces of Madrid
J. R. R. Tolkien was a great dreamer. Which was perhaps why the Lord of the Rings was a rather good fantasy novel. It had all those elements one would ask for in a well written fantasy: the good, pure evil, adventure, perils, the good getting lured by the evil.
So forgive me if I spend the next few lines drawing tedious references to that masterpiece.
The Ronaldo saga is one such work of fiction (albeit a bad one), that is incidentally a part of reality — go figure. The involvement of the evil forces of Madrid trying to lure Ronaldo (read Frodo) towards the dark side, has now reached that stage where we’ve moved from small issues, like Ronaldo’s ego, to his ankle.
I’ll save you some trouble here; clearly I’m not doing a good job of drawing a convincing analogy between Tolkien’s work and this, but then it would be doing a disservice to the masterpiece if I did. So I’ll just end it by saying that the title of the post was derived from the Battle of Helms Deep. How that has anything to do with Ronaldo possibly undergoing surgery, I wouldn’t know.
Back to reality, Manchester United Football Club has issued a statement about Ronaldo’s ankle:
Manchester United medical staff met with the medical team from the Portuguese FA and Cristiano Ronaldo in Lisbon today regarding the ongoing treatment of his injured right ankle. As a result, further specialist advice is being sought and an announcement will be made on any action in due course.
That’s the official line, although according to other reports he might undergo an operation. One would suspect it to be minor because it would have seriously inhibited his game had it been any serious; he was carrying the injury for about two to three months according to him.
Ronaldo is scheduled to return to pre-season training on July 14 but the offshoot of his injury concern is that Madrid might be put off, which is what the Telegraph reckons. I think that’s bollocks really. Calderon needs a star signing to satisfy the restless Bernabeu faithful and to strengthen his position in the face of elections. And having made so many advances through the media, they would really be left with egg on their faces if they don’t sign Ronaldo this season.
So whilst all went quiet over the past week in the Spanish press, one reckons that could be due to the hysteria surrounding Spain’s Euro 2008 campaign. Now that the press have gotten over Spain’s victory, focus has shifted back and the latest bit of drivel (this time from Madrid based AS) has something to do with Ronaldo going to Miami, thus sidestepping an opportunity to meet with Ferguson:
As’ claims seem to indicate that the player’s time at Old Trafford is up. The paper reports that Ronaldo will tonight leave the island of Sardinia, where he has been since Portugal’s exit from Euro 2008, but rather than heading back to Manchester he and his girlfriend will join friends for a trip to Miami. Apparently his journey to the Floridian metropolis is confirmed after he procured tickets without first returning home to the Manchester area. As deems this gambit a product of agent Jorge Mendes’ strategy. Mendes allegedly regards this move as integral to angering United and thus increasing their chances of letting Ronaldo leave for Real Madrid.
As much as I have admitted that my efforts at linking this saga to a fantasy novel was a poor one, I can’t help but attempt to make that comparison over and over again. [Not to worry, I won't do it.]
In short, Ronaldo is not due until the 14th. He can go wherever he pleases. All that strategy designed to avoid Fergie is bollocks really. Yes, he’s behaved like a twat all through, but he is not stupid. He knows he has to meet Fergie some day. So let me stick my neck out (although it’s not too much of a neck sticking really) and tell you that nothing is happening until July 14, for sure. Marca can stuff all those copies that proclaimed ‘Madrid to sign Ronaldo by July 7′ up its Castillian hole.
As I’ve said earlier, I think Ronaldo will stay at United this season. Although that does little to change what I think of him. However, all I am going to be doing for the next month and a half is calling the bluff on stories in broadsheets and rags, alike. I think it’s not a very difficult job with these tabloids, to be honest, but sometimes one can get carried away with reports that may sound authentic. I’ll be sure to put on my thinking/second guessing cap on when I read reports for the next month.
* * *
In other reports, there is certainly a big chance of Queiroz seriously considering the Portugal job, but it is not surprising.
Manutd.com is running the Solskjaer story — a good read.
And I guess, I don’t have anything intelligent to say. So I’ll hand the stage over to you.
Announcement: You may have noticed a small Manchester United logo by the side of my comments. That’s an avatar for those not familiar with forums. You could get one too. All you need to do is go to http://gravatar.com sign up by providing your email address (same as the one you use here) and upload a favourite image, and voila, it will show up here like magic. I will tweak the avatar size because it’s currently a bit too small. But, one enhancement at a time.
Over to you…
Related items from Red Rants:- It’s Still All About Ronaldo, Love
- Spurs, Levy, Ferguson and Berbatov
- A Tale of Full Backs and Some Idle Speculation
- Heinze loses arbitration for Liverpool move, what’s next for him and United?
- How’s the latest episode of the Ronaldo-Madrid soap opera an ‘exclusive’?
Tags: Daily Roundup
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:22
Hey RR. Theopening para looks more like star wars then LOTR! Anyway. Seriously.As much as i despise ronaldo now and as much as i hate to say this. There is NO ONE to replace him! I just hope Rooney shows up and takes ronaldo’s place so that even if he goes. We know that there is someone better than him!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:47
what would anyone do to get one more season of Solksjear?
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:23
Let me draw up a few more analogies…
Gandalf = Fergie (intellectually)
Sauron = Calderon (linguistically)
Gimli = Rooney (psychologically)
Legolas = Ramos (physically) *if he were in our team*
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:45
My avatar ain’t comin up
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:53
Getting sick on the Ronaldo Saga. 2 things will stop it. First Ronaldo should come out and
tell us all if wants to stay or not. Second Fergie should preempt him and put him up for sale
Say 85 million Euros or a combination of money and players. If Real agree they should pay all the money up front
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:53
How did you come up with this RR? Its great! I could never look at it that way, what imagination you have. But you are right, along with antsBoy, about the persons roles. Hopefully it will end well at United too and Frodo will become himself again.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:22
I reckon we sign Legolas and Gimli.
We play Gimli up front as a lone striker; small, stocky build can hold the ball up well and give the defenders a hard time a bit like Sparky. Then have Legolas just playing off him, a good eye for goal, pacey with a devastating finish. The perfect upfront partnership.
Phew thats our transfer problems sorted who need Berb, Benzema etc etc!
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:29
Hey RR! Aren’t there any prizes for the winner(s) of the Red-Rants Euro08 fantasy league???!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:09
I would liken Ronaldo to the ring; silent, but with still clear motives, and Fergie to Frodo; he knows he has to keep the ring safe or destroy it forever by letting it rot in the stands, rather than have the enemy get a hold of it!
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:20
I almost signed up to make an avatar. Then thought better of it.
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:26
If United go for a new keeper to take over for VDS, I hope it wont be this one!
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:28
I just want him gone now, he has shown no interest in staying. We were better without beckham and ruud and we will be better without him “viva hemustgo”
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:44
I don’t think ronaldos going anywhere this season! He is simply playing a game in which either way he’s a winner! He is after a pay rise thats why hes playing the waiting game, or he would of just come out and said he wanted to move 110%! I think we will keep CR and we have to buy benzema and richards i know its easier said than done and would be hard to get these two players but if we are ambitious to dominate europe and the EPL for the next couple of years then these 2 players would be perfect buys as they are 19 and 20 and already fantastic, exciting players! Come on fergie call both clubs bluff n offer £18m for micah n £27m for benzema, both clubs will obv ask for more so go in with a 2nd offer of £20m and £30m and are future is secure for at least the next 5 yrs with young players all growing in to world class players together like andy, nani, rooney, ronaldo,tevez,benzema and richards hu could all become the best in the world in their positions! EVDS Foster/kuszak richards brown rio vida oshea evra carrick hargreaves scholes anderson nani park/giggs ronaldo rooney tevez benzema! imagine that as our startin 11 and 7 subs as our team selection that would be rotated! And also having players like simpson evans silvestre neville possebon fletcher eagles campbell manucho and wellbeck to call upon if needed n maybe saha hu may be shippd out! Who would stop us winning the treble and world domination muhahaha! What do you think WILSON
July 3rd, 2008 at 13:52
@Wilson: That team would be unbeatable, scare the shit out of every possible opponent. But I doubt United will go for Richards and Benzi this summer. Maybe next year though.
July 3rd, 2008 at 14:37
Hey guys let the FREAK GO!!!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:03
Why should we let him go? He is under contract, arguably the best plater in the world and scored 42 goals for us.
If we sold him it would be a sign of weakness, what happens if Nani, Anderson or whoever decides that thay fancy a move to Madrid, it sets a president if we stick by our guns that proves we will not be bullied by other teams and our best layers can’t be poached.
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:07
Hey guys. If Ronaldo isnt fit for the opening game of the season against Newcastle or the next game against Pompey we will have problems. Remember that Nani is suspended for those two games. If neither can play we will have to use Park and Giggs as our wingers. Or one of those with Fletcher or Eagles. When United play their attacks usually goes through the wingers. That is why we play so fast football. Park is okey, so is Giggs and Eagles, but none of them can match the speed that Nani and Ronny has. Evra can play left winger, Andy can in emergensies, Rooney can, Owen did it against Chelsea in the CL final and against Roma, and the reserve player Martin can. Unless Newcastle get new fullbacks, they will have problems containing a fast winger. Imagine this being our team against Newcastle:
VDS
Neville Rio Vidic Evra
Park Carrick Scholes Giggs
Rooney Tevez
subs: Foster, Silvestre, Brown, Fletcher, Owen, Anderson and Saha/who knows?
This team is good enough to beat Newcastle of 2007/08, but will it be able to beat the Geordies of 2008/09? Probably. But Pompey? I have my doubts!
This is the second alternative:
VDS
Neville Rio Vida Evra
Owen Carrick/Anderson Scholes
Tevez Rooney Giggs/new striker
subs: Foster, Silvestre/Oshea, Brown, Fletcher, Carrick/Anderson, Park, Saha/Who knows?
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:11
well we also need to consider that we are not a one man Team you know…What if tommorow everyone
starts demanding for a higher fee structure.We are already deep in debt and we can’t afford to pay
unrealistic fee for the PLayers….
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:15
@antsBoy: It should come up. I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t unless the server is down at Gravatar. Jay’s avatar seems to work fine.
Re: the fantasy league — sorry mate, no prizes for that. It was a fun thing because some members on the board requested it to while their time.
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:22
Fucking cunts!
July 3rd, 2008 at 15:58
The press of spain will do anything to prove their loyalty to real madrid. first it was marca now it is AS.
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:03
michael carrick
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:12
Just checkin if my avatar works.
Hope if ronaldo if to move, we should get Ramos instead. Or Sneijder.
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:29
Sorry for this but I couldn’t find any better place to ask this…
Does anybody know where i can get the season 07-08 away jersey long sleeve (black one)
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:32
Never quite understand everyones obession with Ramos. We have a good right back and our captain is also a right back, Hargo was superb there last season, O’shea can also play there, odd one to me.
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:47
Regarding your avatars [for those whose avatars haven't appeared], make sure you’ve rated the image in your profile on Gravatar.com. Ideally you’d want to rate it as G.
July 3rd, 2008 at 16:49
@AndyCR7: Go to the kits page on RR. You’ll find a link that leads to the away kit where you could buy it from.
July 3rd, 2008 at 17:11
What I think of Calderon and the rest of Real Madrid: They smell!
July 3rd, 2008 at 17:37
@Red Ranter: Anybody who appreciates and loves the Lord of the Rings is OK in my book. Lets simplify things a bit. Sauron is Real Madrid, the seduction money they are offering (the one ring) as well as Ronaldo’s girlfriend (Gollum) is the seductive force leading him to his encounter with Mount Doom which of course is a mask for what Madrid really is. Saruman is none other than the Spanish media who are working as Real’s willing ally in their attempt to lure Ronaldo (a confused Frodo) as well as destroy Manchester United which is similar to the Scouring of the Shire. The one ring’s biggest ally is represented by his Gollum like girlfriend who by her desire to get the one ring from Ronaldo, is trying to convince him to move closer and closer to his doom where she can have all that he has and all that she wants. Her Precious.
In many ways Ronaldo is less like Frodo and more like Boromir. He wants to be good but his burning ambition and desire to please himself, his ambition and his family drives him to do a terrible thing. Like Ronaldo he may realize that what he did was terrible and it may end up costing him but by finally staying with us he may save his soul. Gandalf the White (Fergie), King Elassar (Queiroz), Gimli and Legolas represent Manchester United and all that is noble chivalrous and good about our team and the game. They will be victorious at Helms Deep against the forces of Saruman because in the end, the Spanish media is not going to make it happen. Not as long as Gandalf (Fergie) and King Theoden (David Gill) are running the show and not as long as they have the will and stomach for the fight and a team of great allies who will do their best to win. And hopefully buy time for the confused and limping Frodo to come to his senses and drop the ring (money) as well as Gollum (girlfriend) into the fiery pit known as Real Madrid’s black and evil heart, thus destroying the ambitions and life of Sauron.
The major battle has yet to be fought. Gandalf (Fergie), King Elassar (CQ) and United and all it’s supporters (The Army of the West) will still have to fight the ultimate battle and defeat the evil forces of Real Madrid at the battle for Pelannor Fields (Ronaldo signing a new contract). In the book we have a happy ending and Saruman is destroyed as well as Sauran by the victorious Gandalf Elassar and by Frodo (Ronaldo) who sees the light and and chucks the contract and the girlfriend into the fire pit of Real Madrid’s Mouth of doom. Elassar is rewarded for his loyalty and is named king. (In two years CQ will be named manager of United, provided he sticks around) Frodo returns victorious back to a previously decimated shattered Shire (Manchester and OT) where he injects new life and signs his extended contract and plays out the rest of his career until it’s time to take a boat ride back to Madeira and retirement.
Hows that RR? Don’t get me started on the greatest work of fiction in the history of mankind. I could barely get myself to stop. One last thing, I was a little confused in trying to figure out if Gollum was Calderon or was it Ronny’s girlfriend? Actually, I think it was Calderon because Ronny’s girlfriend is probably Shelob. Rooney or some other friend of his is going to have to do him a life saving big favor and kill her off before that eight legged bitch has Ronny for dinner. Where’s Keano when we need him?
July 3rd, 2008 at 17:46
What bugs the Hell out of me is why this ankle problem wasn’t dealt with immediately after Ronaldo was eliminated from the Euros? It would be in United’s best interests to have sent doctors there immediately to assess the injury. Why didn’t they? I think at that point they felt they were going to lose him and let Madrid deal with it. As it turns out, if he indeed is going to stick around, he could conceivably miss a number of games early in the season recuperating from surgery. Again, I can’t help but feel this would have been addressed had Fergie and Gill be in Manchester. Ronaldo saw that nobody was home and so he split for holidays. This whole thing has been handled very poorly and with no sense of urgency. In the end it’s us supporters that get screwed the most. Watching the team operate without Ronaldo for several games and no Nani either. A replay of the results we had early last season seems to be beckoning. And even worse, we still really don’t know squat about how this Ronaldo business will end up. Meanwhile, it looks like Chelsea is ready to sign Arshavin and are in talks over Ronaldinho and Etoo too. And as for United, all is quiet as a mouse. And many of you ask me to be patient. What the Hell for?
Watching others take care of their business while United’s hierarchy sit on their ass and do nothing to solve their problems and to try to get better as well. Very very frustrating indeed.
July 3rd, 2008 at 17:56
Grog, I agree we seem to be basking in the glory of last season as our nearest and dearest rivals are snapping up or the available talent, leaving us to pick up the unwanted and over priced scraps.
We should have been quicker and more aggresive in the market, picking up Ramsey in May, and we really were intersted in Dos Santos, and at £4.6m seems a decent punt we should have done that soon after.
We will probably pay 30m for Berbatov, Ok good player, but expensive or even worse 20m on Santa Cruz!
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:07
@Stephen: My God, I’m reading that Zenit accepted Chelsea’s bid for Arshavin. It was a measly 12 million. 12 million. Consider how much we paid for Carrick and how much we could end up paying for Tevez. And Arshvin is worth both of those players combined. He is a super talent and he will be bought for nothing. Sure his personal terms may be high but come on, we are United, we should be able to afford a player of that quality. At least we should have been battling for him. Instead we stand idly by while the rest of the footballing world tries to improve their teams. We are arrogant enough to think that ours needs no changes. If this disturbing trend continues up until the trade deadline, then I will be vindicated when you all see just how far United have fallen back into the rest of the pack. All I know is we better sign Ronaldo or we are in big trouble. Once again I will say it for umpteenth time to all of you who do not want to hear it or believe it. United are cash poor and in major debt which has crippled their attempts to buy players and then pay them what they want. WE ARE BROKE!
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:11
first thing, the new united 3rd kit is here.
second, how do i add an avatar?
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:16
@Red Ranter: RR I checked that Kits section…
but 2007-08 away kit doesn’t seem to be available there…
I am not kind of liking the new 2008-09 away kit… that black one was really good… any idea where I can get it?
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:21
Grog, I agree mate it does not make logical sense why we have not shown any interest in a player like that especially for 12m!
Also hear that the Glaziers are happy to sell Ronaldo. Fergie would not talk about him on the golf day he was on, and probably he has been told to sell the player as we need to pay off some of the debt.
I heard today Dickov has been released by Citeh, so all our forward problems have been answered!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:25
King Elessar *
July 3rd, 2008 at 18:32
i just realised something, if we (england) are successful in our bid for the world cup(2018 i believe it is), will united develop the stadiums south stand?
July 3rd, 2008 at 19:33
@Red Ranter: Yeah, I think it was a problem with the Gravatar server then..it’s fine now.
About the fantasy league prizes, I was juz kidding mate
It was awesome fun though!
July 3rd, 2008 at 19:37
@Grognard: Hey Grogs, keeping with the LOTR analogy, who do you think would Arwen be? I’m hoping it would be Colleen as Rooney (Aragorn) comes back to take his rightful throne as King next season.
July 3rd, 2008 at 19:44
Hmm… nice to see others appreciating LOTR. But before someone brings it up, let me hasten to add that I detest Harry Potter and am not a big fan of the Star Wars series [I mention this because they are the other obvious stories one could bring up].
July 3rd, 2008 at 19:59
how do you add an avatar?
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:03
@dan(u-ol): Read the last part of the article.
“Announcement: You may have noticed a small Manchester United logo by the side of my comments. That’s an avatar for those not familiar with forums. You could get one too. All you need to do is go to http://gravatar.com sign up by providing your email address (same as the one you use here) and upload a favourite image, and voila, it will show up here like magic. I will tweak the avatar size because it’s currently a bit too small. But, one enhancement at a time.”
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:17
ok, thanks.
I’ve done everything, but the avatar is still not on, what do i do/did i do wrong?
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:19
Aww, happy days!
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:19
Uhm RR plz dont enlargen the avatar size.They right the way they are.I dont really like them lol
Ishaaq
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:20
Dunno.
Dan, that is not the third kit, thats our Champions League away kit. We might use it against Sunderland, Stoke and Arsenal though.
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:23
Remember this?
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:24
cool.
NO
, WE MISSED OUT ON DEEGAN 
, great thats 2 players that should gone to us, go to a rival club, i cant believe we missed out on the class that is deegan.
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:35
@RedDevil: Damn funny man..brings back the good feelings…I remember there was another solo Nani dance almost as soon as we had won it that was absolutely hilarious..can’t find it on YouTube though
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:39
If we keep Ronaldo we are still ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool. Chelsea are a bit stronger but could end up losing Drogba and Lampard two of their best players in previous years. Arsenal have already lost Flamini and could yet lose Hleb and Adebayor.
We have a stable and unchanged team (again assuming we keep Ronaldo) and that constancy is a major advantage for us.
I’d like to have Arshavin but I do not believe the 12 million figure. I would imagine it is closer to 20 million, which is too much for a player who would either be a sub or impede the development of Nani.
I reckon the money will be spent on a Saha replacement and Saha will be loaned out or sold. I do not think any of the players who are being snapped up ever were our targets with the exception of Ramsey and Dos Santos and in that case I think the players just felt they’d get first team football at their chosen destinations.
July 3rd, 2008 at 20:59
Scholes replacement is Anderson.
Giggs replacement is Nani.
The future is bright.
July 3rd, 2008 at 21:06
Theres a rumour going on that Saha may be one his way to WBA. He might not be the best striker in the world, but WBA? Come on, you aint that bad! Its like Owen moving to Rochdale!
July 3rd, 2008 at 21:10
I like the Chamipons League away kit/3rd kit! It looks just like the 68 final kit. I will defo buy it when it is for sale. With Anderson#8 on the back. He is just awsome!
July 3rd, 2008 at 21:47
Looks like Ronaldo’s not the only one who has a dream. Messi’s father has comeout his son’s dream is to play in Italy someday and sooner or later this will happen….
July 3rd, 2008 at 21:58
*sigh* that anderson video was a breath of fresh air, he is something special that boy.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:07
@antsBoy: The King of course has to be Cantona but I couldn’t work his kingdom into the story. Arwen would be Nani because there are times he acts like a girl on the pitch.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:11
@Red Ranter: They all pale in comparison to LotR don’t they RR? In fact all fantasy other than the Iliad and the Odyssey pales in comparison to Tolkien and they have all stolen from him too. Sounds a lot like United. Everybody pales in comparison but they love to steal from them.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:17
@dan(u-ol): Deegan is not in Ramsey’s class so that was no great loss,believe me.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:18
End of Euros +4 and all is quiet.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:36
The Premier League will use a new, improved ball next season. Hoepfully it will help us score more goals
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:40
42 days until the Premier League season starts.
July 3rd, 2008 at 22:50
@RedDevil: Ronaldo has already complained about the ball being just like the one in the Euros. It will make spinning free kicks float and crosses will sail too. You have to drive the ball like Ballack did against Austria to have any success with the ball. This is the EPL’s way of hurting Ronaldo and United although I don’t think it is a conspiracy. It will hurt us in free kicks. But lets wait and see. If Ronaldo stays, hopefully he may get used to it.
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:02
@Red Ranter: Hmm, that I wouldn’t have expected that..
Off-topic but still..
RR, did you read Harry Potter? I actually don’t like the Potter movies but the books are IMHO quite excellent. Whereas The LOTR movies while being much better ovies on the whole, are also a little wee bit disappointing with respect to the books, but hey that’s a fanboy talking here!
Else;
)
Van der Sar = Treebeard
Gaz Neville = Faramir
Rio = Galadriel
Vidic = Gimli
Evra = Tom Bombadil
Ronaldo = Frodo if he stays, Gollum if he leaves
Scholes = Master Samwise
Carrick = Merry
Owen = Pippin (he actually looks the part!
Giggs = Elrond (much friendlier in the book than in the movie)
Rooney = Thorin Oakenshield (from The Hobbit)
Carlitos = Eomer
SAF = obviously, Gandalf (the white, now that he’s mellowed a bit…)
On a side note, Beckham would have been Boromir, havin been lured by fame and riches to finally see the truth, but too late, huh?
Pushing the analogy, Keano could be Bilbo, and Eric Aragorn , as he after all is the King!
Hmm, thinking of which I’m sure this analogy can be done with the 68 team. Let’s see:
Sir Matt: Gandalf
Dennis Law: Aragorn
Geoge Best: Frodo
Sir Bobby… aak can’t fid anynone
I hope I don’t look like the fat guy from the simpsons with all my musings
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:05
Hmm thinking about it Giggs should be Legolas Greenleaf. Physically not much esemblance but in terms of personality and skill
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:10
@Grognard: as regards our rivals spendind and us not there is now a section on the official website talking about how our rivals are `dipping into the transfer market´ Personally I think that it is a travesty that they would have to publish that. I am sure that we will sign good players I just don´t want to see Berbatov as I think he is the wrong player for us. I think that our transfer strategy will depend on whether Ronnie leaves. By the way Arshavin is overrated. people are talking about him as if he is the next coming of Jesus because he had 2 good games in the EUROS, he is a good player, just not a world class player as is being made out.
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:18
new 3rd kit looks great has to be anderson for me on the back for me
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:36
@Grognard: Exaggerating a bit here, aren’t we? Fergie wasn’t interested in Arshavin, so if any club signs up, good for them. There’s no proof we’re broke, yet you keep saying that, theres a difference between being realistic and being overly- pessimistic, you should know where you fall into. If we were cash strapped as you often suggest, don’t you think Fergie would have offloaded Saha and Silvestre(he’d have probably gotten a combined 20mil or more) when he had the chance? I fail to see flurry of transfers you keep mentioning, between all the top four clubs, only one high profile signing has been made(Nasri isn’t completed for Arsenal and he isn’t high profile). We’re being linked to players just like Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are also been linked. Its still 40+ days to go and i really don’t see us signing anyone before middle or end of July, so Grog brace up for more frustrating days for you.
@Stephen: The last time i checked, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were our main rivals, i seem to have missed this “snapping up” you mentioned and i’d really like to know, the playerS that the above clubs have snapped up. Also i seemed to have missed this interest in Dos Santos that you mentioned(no sun or tribal football thank you very much). Like i said if nothing happens by the end of July i’d be worried, but for now..i’m not. It just seems weird that Arsenal fans seem to have more faith in their club who hasn’t given them anything for three years than we United fans.
July 3rd, 2008 at 23:46
@Grognard: Grog, Tolkien has stolen a hell of a lot from northern mythology and stuff. But he’s still the best out there when it comes to heroic fantasy.
Ah, just read your earlier post, very funny, but for neophytes, you should mention that Elessar = Aragorn
But LotR greatest work of fiction ever? Perhaps for entertainment value..But I still prefer 1984 by Orwell.