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Manchester United

The clock is ticking to zero hour

This summer has been a comedy of errors and one big con job on all of us and it still amazes me how many of you cling onto the belief that something major will come down before the 3rd.

I for one am fed up and have almost given up talking about this fiasco and charade, as it’s clear nobody can handle the truth. You want to blame somebody? Blame the owners, not the paid lackeys who are ordered to carry out their wishes to a tee.

These ridiculous bids and tactics that are being used are nothing more than elaborately stupid attempts to con all of you into believing that United care about you the fan and that they do want to improve the club. And yet I have yet to see a single bid made for an available target like an Ozil or the dozen players Spurs have brought in etc. Instead we go in with bids for players unwilling to move or clubs unwilling to sell. And if there is a buyout clause on a player, it doesn’t surprise me how we bid under that amount not once, but twice while Bilbao had already stated they were not interested in negotiating. Is that Ed Woodward being a thicky, or is that Woodward doing his masters bidding? It’s all just an elaborate game and a facade designed to keep us interested. Fact is United haven’t been granted a shilling to spend. And for those of you who don’t believe me, the proof is in the pudding. Mr. Woodward, show me the money, show me the signings. The Glazer’s no spend policy is another reason why they refuse to sell Nani, Anderson and other dead weight the club has been carrying for years. They would rather pay a moping player in bad form rather than spend more bucks on a better player who will demand higher wages.

If I were young and just getting interested in the game, the last club I would support would be Manchester United. I truly like only half of their players, hate their owners and hate their lack of aggressiveness in buying players to improve. Frankly if it were not for their history and I have been a fan since 1976, they would not be my cup of tea. Not the way they are run these days. Remember, I wasn’t born on the red side of Manchester. I picked up on them watching tv as a little boy and buying Shoot magazine and Word Soccer Monthly from the newsstands back then to get my footy fix while living in a country that back then offered very little European football. So I picked up on United watching a few games and noticing in those magazines that although they were not league leaders, they still spent money on players. I liked the way they played and so I became a fan.

Since those early years, I have become much more astute and experienced in the way the game is played on and off the pitch. I like a club I can trust to not only get the job done on the pitch but in the boardroom too. A club that has killer instinct and that is never happy and settled with what they have or what they have accomplished. And some of you wonder why I also support that other continental club which will remain nameless? Simply, because they give a damn about their fans and because they are hungry for trophies and always push the envelope to improve. They honour their history but they don’t just live in the past and they understand that to stay on top, you have to continue to evolve and tweak the club and never feel like you are settled. As if Madrid or Barca would ever go from winning the league to not buying a single player the following summer. That would never ever happen. Frankly, United is my love and my passion but I am bored with her and the thoughts of an illicit affair with somebody younger, more alluring and sexier does enter my mind. She has gotten fat and bloated and she no longer cares for herself even though she still can turn a head from time to time. But the great makeup and makeover magician Fergie is no longer with her and I’m not yet so sure that with David Moyes the old girl doesn’t start to show her wrinkles and cellulite more and if those old bones don’t start to finally creak. We shall see.

The transfer deadline is only a few days away as of writing this piece. It’s not impossible to think that something will happen before the door shuts closed until January. But for me at least it is looking more and more unlikely and the thought of an entire season of poor Michael Carrick being saddled with the timid Tom Cleverley, the useless Anderson and the ancient Ryan Giggs is enough to bring me to nauseam. Is this as good as it gets from now on? Was Fergie the only reason up to now that the Glazer’s hadn’t implemented fully their working model that shows their Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the cheapest team in the NFL with the lowest payroll? A club that continually sells its best players once they reach a position where a raise in salary is indicated. I shudder to think of the consequences and long-term repercussions of Fergie’s retirement.

I’ve stated many times why I feel David Moyes was hired. Even if I’m wrong about that, it is clear to me now that the Glazer’s got their man. A man who does his work and doesn’t ask questions or raise issues with the ownership about exactly what they are or are not doing. This year we will see if the loyal prognosticators who feel this club is good enough, will prevail. Are we good enough to beat out Manchester City, Chelsea and now the rebuild and ready to kick ass Spurs? Perhaps, but in my humble opinion (ok maybe not so humble), we have a long and frustrating season in front of us. Right now it’s so far, so good. Everyone is healthy, Wayne Rooney looks to be motivated to play and is staying and if all else fails, we still have Robin van Persie. We still should put in a challenge but I seriously doubt we will have enough quality to endure another long season and win the league when our major opponents have done so much to improve their clubs while we have stood pat and done absolutely sweet nothing.

Just one signing Dave, just one. That is all that I ask. I’ll settle for Fellaini or and ancient De Rossi, somebody to help the midfield and to help rid me of this terrible anxiety I feel over that position holding the key to our club’s future. It is our Achilles Heel, our albatross on our club’s shoulder. Please do something now for Christ’s sake before it’s too late. Just imagine the scenario of a long-term injury to Carrick occur and watch our dreams of a 21st league title turn into a fight for a Europa League position. That is how frail the quality and the depth of our midfield is. And then all we will need is for the predictable bad back of Rio’s to reoccur as well as Nemanja Vidic having leg problems again and then we are totally screwed. Those are worst-case scenarios but not impossible by no means. Then I look at some of the other elite clubs in the game and I see how deep their depth is in midfield and I ask myself the following question. Am I the only one that gets this? I don’t think so. Many of you agree with me and have brought this up in discussion. The problem is the brain trust of the club we support seem to be clueless or at least powerless to do something about it. At least that is how it looks from the outside looking in. There is no transparency with this club. There is nobody to go to and ask why and get a straight answer. Madrid, Barca, Munich and other major clubs have transparency and it’s because they are community owned. They elect their club officials and these officials answer to them. I just want some answers from this privately run enterprise. Of course in theory they are not obligated to give me any answers and that is exactly what they have chosen to do. Just some fabricated lies that they force the manager to say in interviews.

I honestly want to be positive about this club and I want to get on with the season and worry about games and how well we play. This transfer season BS has gotten me so down and so flustered. I’m frustrated and very disenchanted because at least for me, my club doesn’t seem to care about my needs. I would like a Ronaldo and an Ozil but realistically, all I am asking is for a Fellaini or reasonable facsimile. Tell me folks, am I being greedy and am I asking too much? Despite my doom and gloom I truly believe that one or two central midfielders of real quality would elevate us back to the top in England and would make us serious threats in Europe. There are three days left for that wish to come true. I beg United to find it them to grant me and many fans that wish and that reassurance. Zero hour approaches and all is calm…………………………………..