Money does all the talking---Man. City demonstrates how!!!

Hello everyone. In this article of mine, we move from one end of Manchester to the other end i.e. from Old Trafford to Eastlands. While I was surfing the Internet for the latest transfer News in this year's transfer season, there was one thing, which caught my eye. It was the ridiculous way in which Manchester City was signing the players. They are behaving as if any player who needs a change in club, Manchester City is available to give them so called 'shelter'.

In the later part of the previous season, all the hard-work that was being done, was done by Stephen Ireland and Robinho [count Given as well]. The surely felt a necessity for a Striker so as for Ireland to play a mid-field role and a striker to perform some scoring duty. They relied on the likes of Benjami, Bojinov, Bellami and even, Caceido [all assisting Robinho]. When the summer transfer season began, a striker signing was sure on cards. But to everyone's surprise, the very first signing was in the name of Gareth Barry, an English midfielder.

The signing spree then eventually began, as Mark Hughes, manager of Manchester City signed Roque Santa Cruz. A real good buy in my opinion. A perfect goal-poacher for the likes of the club of Manchester City. Speculation began as if Manchester City were to sign another striker in Samuel Eto'o but to everyone's surprise, around 20 days later, Manchester City signed Carlos Tevez, a striker who was said to be ignored by Sir Alex in the later part of his contract at Old Trafford. Everyone just though, Mark Hughes had something else in mind, maybe playing a 4-3-3 strategy with Robinho, Santa Cruz and Tevez and Ireland+Barry+Elano/Petrov combination working out the things in midfield.

PS : Be it Santa Cruz [£17.5 million], Gareth Barry [£12 million] or Carlos Tevez [around £25-30 million], all were said to be signed for a fee more than they actually deserved to. Money doing all the talking. Thanks to their Rich Abu Dhabi Group owners!!!

But Mark Hughes, again showing the strength of money, did, which even Manchester City fans weren't able to visualise in thei dreams. He signed Emmanuel Adebayor, striker from Arsenal, for a hefty fee to be in the region of £25m. If even a Arsenal fan is asked, Adebayor never deserved a transfer fee of around £25m.

Secondly, with high-profile strikers such as Robinho, Tevez and Santa-Cruz, there wasn't any need for signing a strikers such as Adebayor. At the moment, Manchester City has following strikers---Robinho, Santa Cruz, Tevez, Adebayor, Bellami, Bojinov, Benjani, Caceido and even Ched Evans. That makes it 9 strikers who can play for Manchester City. With Santa Cruz and Robinho virtually assured to be playing in the playing XI almost each and everytime Manchester City come out on-field, we'll have to see, who amongst Tevez and Adebayor makes it into playing XI. With the likes of Barry, Ireland, Petrov and Elano present in the midfield, I hardly doubt if any of the strikers would be made to play on the wings. But one thing is for sure, that it was all a talk when Tevez accused Manchester United that they didn't made him play in the playing XI for much, and that was the reason he was leaving Manchester United. Money drives everyone crazy, and maybe, so was the case with Adebayor and Tevez.

Mark Hughes has a tough job at hand. Who to play and who to leave. But then, no-one would mind sitting on the bench for getting such hefty salaries.

Money does all the talking!!!

Midfield Problems for Manchester United---Headache for SAF???

Ronaldo has left to Spain, Tevez has joined the Rivals, Owen has arrived but Strikers are not the only ones who United are cared about. They still have to sort out their Mid field problems which may provide even more head ache for Sir Alex.

Before really starting on with this article of mine, I'll like to mention the names of midfielders, the Manchester United team currently possesses. So, here I go with a list of United mid-field options :

4] Owen Hargreaves

8] Anderson

11] Ryan Giggs

13] Park Ji-Sung

14] Zoran Tosic

16] Michael Carrick

17] Nani

18] Paul Scholes

24] Darren Fletcher

28] Gibson

and the latest signing being Antonio Valencia

With Gibson having renewed his contract recently, he surely looks to be heading in playing XI. But the problem rises for Sir Alex Ferguson [as United usually play with a 4-4-2 formation] so as to decide which 4 midfielders to play amongst these 11 players. Leaving aside Tosic and Gibson, rest 9 can't be ignored a position in playing XI for long. And then, you can't really manage 9 to 11 midfielders on a rotational policy.

If you you tend to ask United fans, they'll say be it Hargo, Ando, Scholesy, Fletcher, Park, Carrick, Giggs and even Nani are all important for the team which they surely are. But one thing that amazes me in this whole situation is MUFC fans expecting SAF to so some more signings such as even Ribery, just because they see the money in the United funds after the Ronaldo Transfer. Being sure, Valencia is going to be in the regular starting XI this season and even having high expectations from Anderson, I do believe, he, as well, is going to play many matches as expected to other mid-fielders.

Many of you might not agree [which I do], that if SAF has signed Valencia, there has to be something special in him. You can't really compare him to Ronaldo, but then, we have several strikers by the name of Wayne Rooney or Berbatov or our new No. 7 Michael Owen, we don't need a winger anymore to score goals but to provide assists. We've got Nani, who can provide unbelievable assists sometimes [though he is made to play sometimes :P], we have a-guy named Fletcher, our unsung hero, who is considered amongst the most sensible mids the team posseses currently alongwith Michael Carrick. We have an amazing passer of the ball with name of Paul Scholes. Anderson and Hargreaves belong to different breed as both can play attacking football, as well as, can even do real good man-marking. The problem might just be, who takes the freekicks for us, but with the good news just reported by BBC, that Hargo is coming back in Spetember, I see even this problem evaporating for Manchester United problem-book.

SO, In my opinion, its just the end of the road for the signings for this season. But we all know, SAF has been the best manager ever to have a managed a football club, and this time, with another challenge, it needs to be seen, how and in which positions does he play all these mid-fielders. Who to leave and who not to? Will the man from Scotland do it right yet again? Surely, Time will tell, but in SAF we believe!!!

Michael Owen...a deserving No. 7???

Hello to everyone. Today I came back from my playing routine, opened my laptop, checked out the Internet only to find the most prestigious jersey No. ever in the history of my beloved club, Manchester United, has been given to an ex-scouser, Michael Owen. I still felt, is this guy a really deserving candidate for the No. 7 jersey???

Well, going by the statistics and the current situation at OT, you surely would be saying it’s the Gaffer’s call and whatever he decides is for the benefit of the team. But still, speaking statistically, we surely need to see that is he the appropriate guy for No. 7 jersey. With the kind of reputation this No. 7 jersey holds in Manchester United's History, I do believe there is only one player worthy of it in current squad and that is Wayne Rooney. You might even argue with me on Vidic but then, only goal-scorers or attacking players are, in my view given the No. 7 jersey. Be it George Best, Eric Cantona or even Cristiano Ronaldo, they all have been influential for the period they were at OT.

Rooney, has already established his brand with a No. 10 player, which he might not want to cease. In my opinion, Gaffer, as always, might have just called a correct call for the No. 7 jersey. Michael Owen, who scored 118 goals in 216 matches for Liverpool, and 40 goals amongst 89 caps for England, has already established himself as a prolific goal-scorer [scoring in approx. every second match]. It was only the injury crisis in Owen’s career that lead to many believe, his time as a genuine football goal-scorer (or even player) is over. But his successful medical at OT (before his signing) and even Owen dismissing that he is injury-prone clearly shows he might just turn out to be amongst another No. 7 players ever to have played for Manchester United. For we believe, Owen wants a call back in England squad and even someone like Fabio Capello won't mind both the England attacker being from same team, because it ensures higher team chemistry and a better delivery rate for the team.

Though it still needs to be seen that how often he starts for United, but I do believe, giving of No. 7 jersey to Owen just ensures he might be a regular starter for Manchester United :) . But still, the problem now arises is, with Berbatov there, Rooney even there, and Owen been given the No. 7 jersey, what would be the standard formation United would be playing in....will it be 4-4-2 [their usual, with Rooney n anyone amongst Owen/Berba and other as super-sub] or 4-3-3 [all three strikers] or 4-3-1-2 [with Berba playing a kind of playmaker and Rooney and Owen upfront. It still needs to be seen but then, I do believe, it is again going to be the call by Sir Alex himself and he’ll surely get it right again!!!

MUFC tiLL DeaTH!!!

Cristiano Ronaldo.....a traitor???

Ohkk.....hi everyone :) .....heres me, Aashu, back with my second post. Just as I was thinking about my second post, i saw United fans posting various kind of abuses for Ronaldo (CR7/9). Surely, I as United fan must say that Ronaldo won’t be missed [personal opinion]......He was no different from RVN, Beckham, etc n like them, he won’t be remembered much after, though admired....... I just had a feeling within me, that are such abuses to Ronaldo justified???....In my opinion, the answer to this so-called funny but serious topic is a big visible ‘NO’.

Ronaldo, has all it in him to be called the best footballer of his generation [Messi is the other one though :P], if not the best of all time. Before going ahead with this topic, I must tell u all, I’m not a great fan of Ronaldo, just a simple admirer n die-hard MUFC fan :). Personally, there hasn’t been much decrease in the Ronaldo-fan following......If some MUFC fans have started abusing (or even hating if not abusing) this player, there have been several thousand Madridistas who have become his fans. But still, as I read some posts by United followers, they called him ‘a traitor’, ‘a gay’, ‘a diver’ n even ‘a cry baby’. I had a discussion with few sensible United fans (I think ‘em sensible, opinions may vary :D :P), just to reach to a conclusion that, for what-all service he gave at Old Trafford, he surely doesn’t deserves to be called so.

2 years ago, Madrid had sights on him, his contract was going to expire, everyone in this world knew he surely could be the next big thing in the Football Market, still after persuasion from Sir Alex, he signed a contract [5 year contract till 2012] with Manchester United. Though still Madrid in his sights, he did whatever possible thing he could do for Manchester United, playing as a majorly figure in United winning the Premier League consecutively for next 2 years as well, winning the UCL once n reaching the finals the other time, scoring 42 for the first season and 26 for the season [PS : he was injured for the initial part of the season]. Even any Ronaldo critic would agree that he owed the most of United success for previous 2 years [if not all]. He won all possible things he could ever win as a professional footballer at OT. Be it Ballon D’or, POY, Fan’s POY, FA Cup, BPL medal, UCL medal, etc [anything you name]. At the end he wanted to go to Madrid, just for some more glory [remember, in the end, he is a professional], and even then, while going, his deal was so helpful for United, that it virtually gave ‘em around $80m, much more than second costliest signing ever made [Kak’a for 56m], just for United to clear its debts, or make a star-signing, or increase the stadium capacity or anything that SAF or the people at MUFC wish to.

Some say, he kept on saying the whole season that he will stay at OT, just for him to leave United in the end and say it was decided pretty much last year. I have a question for you guys, would you have supported Ronaldo as you did had he told that he would be leaving???. Just to see the commitment level of this guy, he still performed really well, even after knowing he aint having much of future at OT.

Great professionalism indeed :).

It isn’t the case that United won’t be the same as he has left. For many (like me), he was a United player like any and believe me, he won’t get the service at Madrid like he used to get at OT. He wont get players like Rooney, who sacrificed their Central Forward position and played on wings just for Ronnie to score those goals. He won’t get great passers of ball like Scholes and Giggs and Carrick. He wont get the likes of coaches or manager out their like Sir Alex [whom he refers as a fatherly figure]. There were great United Players, there are some n there will be. But you can’t compare each and every United Legend with Ronaldo. Ronaldo was exceptional [believe me, he was :)] for the time he played at OT, but that performance aint longing enough to remember him throughout. You buy a guy for some 12m, he gives you his outstanding performance for 6 years n then leaves with 80m in your pocket [and not to forget the uncountable no. of Silverware], you all still think he deserves to be called a traitor or any kind of abuse?.

With this post of mine, i don’t intend at changing people’s frame of mind, but it is my request to United fans [f*ck you scousers!!!, we don’t care for what you say and that is a facht!!! :x], not to abuse this guy [If Not Love], who was unquestionably stupendous for the time he played. For, in the end, he never had any bad remarks for United or United fans, he surely doesn’t deserve to be called with such phrases or words :).

Cristiano, you surely were the best United player for the previous 2-3 years, but then, we love our club more than anything else. We believe in Sir Alex more than anyone else and we know [even the rest of the world knows] that,

RVN left, United stood tall

Becks went, Still we stood strong

Now its You, and we, at OT will make sure the legacy lives on!!!

You surely won't be missed!!!

Its MUFC n it will always be MUFC......Ronaldo who??? :o .....but then, atleast not a traitor!!!

MUFC TiLL DeaTH!!!

MUFC or Manchester United.....it shouldn't be called 'Man u'

Hello everyone. As I was yet to decide about writing my first post for this blog, i had to think (quite obvious) from where about United should i start. While I was flirting with various posts written by Manchester United fans, i noticed them referring our very own beloved club as 'man u'. Well, for all of you who don't know, it must be told that calling Manchester United as 'manu' is a insult to the club. Though, we must agree that no united fan in their right mind would use 'Man U' as an insulting disrespectful term, it needs to be understood the history related to this term and why it need not be called so.

The term 'manu' first came into existence with insult from West Brom fans who chanted this about a great Unite Legend, Duncan Edwards [one of the BUSBY Babes] as they said, "Duncan Edwards is manure, rotting in his grave, man you are manure- rotting in your grave".

Secondly, it was the turn of our rivals, Liverpool and Leeds United fans, who made fun of the Busby Babes that crashed while they were coming home from Munich and 8 eight amongst them [Busby Babes] died in the Munich Air Crash. They made their own versions of the chant, and chanting "Man U Man U went on a plane Man U Man U never came back again" and "Man U Never Intended Coming Home". On combining the first letter of latter chant, we can clearly see, it comes out to be 'MUNICH'

I guess, it needs to be read about the club and thus, not every fan who uses this term knows this. We, as MUFC fans must know about this fact and refrain ourselves from calling our beloved club as 'MANU'

Its 'Manchester United' or 'MUFC' or 'United' or 'Man. United'