Its not very often that a hard working, rough and tumble, gritty midfielder, who can equally attack and defend plays for Manchester United, a club known for employing creative, attack minded, expansive midfielders, who run at defenses and tear holes in them with accurate passing from a variety of ranges. His work ethic, with or without the ball, is what makes him so important to the United side, especially against strong opposition. Against the "weaker" sides, with less "powerful" central midfields, we can deploy our creative, attacking, midfielders without too much thought to the consequences of lossing possession in central midfield, for which we have Vidic and Rio largely to thank for.
Against centrally strong midfields, like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham and even City, we have a need to subdue and overpower opponents without playing a designated defensive midfielder behind two others, which would nullify our most potent weapons of width and speed. In the fast paced environment of the English Premier League, the ability to transisition between defence and attack and vice-versa is critical. This is where Fletcher stands head and shoulders above the rest of United's other central midfielders. While some are great visionaries, and can find gaps where there semmingly are none, and while othersare great with or without the ball at the feet, none of them combine these traits to the extent of Fletcher. True his range of passing may not yet equal Carrick or Anderson, and may not be able to weave past a handful of defenders like Giggs, or pick out a striker behind a wall of defenders like Scholes, he can do all of the above to a more than adequate level, making him very useful in games when all methods of attack and defence are needed to win games, and players need to be able to multitask without becoming a liability.
His ability to play a variety of roles, and do as the situation demands sets him apart from other midfield players in the Premier League. Its not often you see a midfielder play well as a right back and in the same game, go forward and get a goal, supporting the forwards. His ability to do suppress the "flair players" of opponents sets him apart from his club peers, and his ability to keep possession under pressure, and inturn apply pressure is crucial to the United style of attack. In short, he makes United tick, and our most balanced starting lineup should include him alongside Carrick in central midfield. At the age of 25, many United supporters think he's not good enough to keep a place in the 1st team, and that he'd be better off playing every week at a 'smaller' club. This season he has shown in matches, the improvement made in the off season, and the fact that he has added muscle mass to his frame makes him more competitive against the leagues' stronger players.
His finishing, defending and confidence "on the ball" have all improved this season, and United's title successes, in my opinion, relies more heavily on the performance of Fletcher and the other central midfielders, than it does on Ronaldo's wizardry.
Showing posts with label Cristiano Ronaldo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cristiano Ronaldo. Show all posts
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Is it time to axe Ronaldo the passenger?
So then we the fans can now turn our attention to on the field matters, because the pantomime that is international football is over, so awake from your snooze-fest and prepare for the real action this weekend.
Everyone is wondering if United will bounce back and get back to winning ways against Aston Villa after two humbling league defeats in a row. During the mini hiatus, I have personally been taking soundings from several respected time-served Reds and their prognosis for the remainder of the current season is awful, but I'm not going to put a downer on our chances of coming good again - so for now at least, I am going to put my faith the wizard's ability to invoke the expected response from United - I refer to Fergie.
After the Liverpool defeat Fergie said that United would bounce back - because we always do - well now is the time for the players to stand up and be counted. Ronaldo needs to be told that the team cannot carry passengers, which is what the World Player of the Year has been in the last two games; Fergie has to tell Ronaldo to start working or else bench him.
Meanwhile, any United fans looking for a cheap flight to Porto for the Champions League quarter final might be interested to learn that BMI have announced they have places for 148 fans, the flight leaves Manchester on the day of the game (14.04.09) at 08.30 and returns at 0115 the following morning. Prices start at just £146.99 including all taxes - book your cheap BMI flight early to avoid disappointment
Also of interest to anyone who fancies a new United shirt is the Republik of Mancunia shirt competition , get on it quickly while you still can.
Everyone is wondering if United will bounce back and get back to winning ways against Aston Villa after two humbling league defeats in a row. During the mini hiatus, I have personally been taking soundings from several respected time-served Reds and their prognosis for the remainder of the current season is awful, but I'm not going to put a downer on our chances of coming good again - so for now at least, I am going to put my faith the wizard's ability to invoke the expected response from United - I refer to Fergie.
After the Liverpool defeat Fergie said that United would bounce back - because we always do - well now is the time for the players to stand up and be counted. Ronaldo needs to be told that the team cannot carry passengers, which is what the World Player of the Year has been in the last two games; Fergie has to tell Ronaldo to start working or else bench him.
Meanwhile, any United fans looking for a cheap flight to Porto for the Champions League quarter final might be interested to learn that BMI have announced they have places for 148 fans, the flight leaves Manchester on the day of the game (14.04.09) at 08.30 and returns at 0115 the following morning. Prices start at just £146.99 including all taxes - book your cheap BMI flight early to avoid disappointment
Also of interest to anyone who fancies a new United shirt is the Republik of Mancunia shirt competition , get on it quickly while you still can.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Time for Ronaldo to tell truth about Real Madrid rumours....
Here's the good news. Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted FIFA World Player of the Year. It is well deserved and there's no need to debate that fact.
Now the bad news, despite Ronaldo recently stating there's no agreement with Florentino Perez to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, Spanish rumour monger Guillem Balague is claiming that the Portuguese winger will join Real as his agent has an agreement with Ramon Calderon.
United fans are sick and tired of hearing about this story and it's disappointing that it looks like we will have to put up with this tiresome saga again this summer.
Balague has added the rider that Ferguson is a major obstacle in the way of any potential deal.
While I'd like to completely dismiss this story, sadly I obviously cannot because it is the second time within the space of a week that it has surfaced, what's more, Ronaldo hasn't been at his deadly best this season, he looks to be holding back slightly, but he remains a very important player. It is therefore likely that Ferguson's resolve to keep the player will remain as strong as ever.
The United manager and Reds fans around the world will not be best pleased to learn that Balague is suggesting Ronaldo and his agent have a sealed this agreement with Ramon Calderon, and that the player is now prepared to request a transfer from Manchester United.
It is time for Ronaldo to tell truth about his future intentions.
Now the bad news, despite Ronaldo recently stating there's no agreement with Florentino Perez to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, Spanish rumour monger Guillem Balague is claiming that the Portuguese winger will join Real as his agent has an agreement with Ramon Calderon.
United fans are sick and tired of hearing about this story and it's disappointing that it looks like we will have to put up with this tiresome saga again this summer.
Balague has added the rider that Ferguson is a major obstacle in the way of any potential deal.
While I'd like to completely dismiss this story, sadly I obviously cannot because it is the second time within the space of a week that it has surfaced, what's more, Ronaldo hasn't been at his deadly best this season, he looks to be holding back slightly, but he remains a very important player. It is therefore likely that Ferguson's resolve to keep the player will remain as strong as ever.
The United manager and Reds fans around the world will not be best pleased to learn that Balague is suggesting Ronaldo and his agent have a sealed this agreement with Ramon Calderon, and that the player is now prepared to request a transfer from Manchester United.
It is time for Ronaldo to tell truth about his future intentions.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Boneheaded English do not deserve Ronaldo...
What a topsy-turvy few days it's been for Cristiano Ronaldo, at the weekend he was sent-off in the Manchester derby, today he has been crowned European footballer of the Year. It is thoroughly deserved and Ronaldo joins a trio of United legends and previous winners of the prestigious Ballon d'Or; Denis Law (1964), Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968). The last Premier League player to win the award was Michael Owen (it must have been a bad year).
United's Portuguese winger has his critics, but I'm not one of them. Sure, he wanted to join Real Madrid last summer, far from knocking him I personally believe that we should admire him for his honesty. A famous ex-United star joined Real Madrid but went about it in an entirely different way when trying to blame the club for his move, when all along his agents had been trying to work his ticket behind the scenes.
The sad fact is that some fans, for whatever reason, will always try to find fault in big star names. It is especially disappointing, as in the case of Ronaldo that some of them happen to be United supporters.
There have also been accusations that Ronaldo is a "diver". Let's get one thing straight here, only English fans, who are too easily led by our all too often jingoistic media, have a problem with players trying to win at all costs.
In South America and pretty much the rest of Europe, cheating or winning at all costs, is an accepted part of the game. This view is a more adult way of looking at what is after all a game, the aim of which is to win. It is up to the referee to sort out any cheating or gamesmanship.
The English seem to have this old fashioned notion that there should be gentlemen and players. In contrast in Italy all they are concerned about is winning, it is partly why they have won the World Cup so many times and it's also partly why England have only won it once. Former Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli pretty much made the same observations after several years in English football.
Perhaps even worse still is our one-eyed treatment of foreign stars like Ronaldo. After the recent Villarreal game, Wayne Rooney admitted that he'd dived inside the penalty area when seeking to win a penalty. Has anyone come out and called Wayne Rooney a cheat? No, there was more or less a deathly silence.
I'm not sure why some English fans have a general dislike of Ronaldo, I can only put it down to jealousy, because he has it all. Despite what the naysayers will try to have us believe, Ronaldo is a worthy winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or. All I will say to the boneheads who dislike Ronaldo is that I'm glad he's one of ours and he doesn't play for Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.
Fergie has often spoken out about the need for protection for players like Ronaldo, because there's another big problem in English football, which is that the opposition and to an extent even referee's are happy to see Ronaldo being kicked up and down dale, it seems to be the case that the officials have the attitude of "it's okay, it's only Ronaldo, he's a cheat you can kick him..".
Part of the problem is that referees are too easily influenced by the crowd and the media and the sad fact is - as Howard Webb showed at the weekend - all too often they do not know when and when not to produce yellow or red cards.
Ronaldo is a great player, in my view he is not a cheat, he will always be fouled because he moves his feet and the ball so quickly. But on this point I have a degree of sympathy with referees' who have to make spit-second decisions.
In bid to help the officials get it right more often there's has been talk of introducing video evidence. On open play, I say forget the notion of introducing evidence, reason being the experts often cannot agree even after reviewing footage over and over again.
Take the example of Ronaldo's unjust first booking at Eastlands on Sunday. Graeme Souness and Andy Gray said that Ronaldo had clearly nudged the ball away from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Fully 24 hours later, Alan Shearer on MOTD2 said it was a definite booking. So who is right? The point is, even after 24 hours had elapsed it comes down to an opinion, but importantly the experts cannot agree. If that is the case then we might as well leave it to the man-in-the-middle. All it would do is transfer responsibility away from the referee and I suppose there's an argument for that in reducing a degree of pressure, but it will not undisputedly mean that referees' decisions are more often right than wrong as illustrated by the point about Ronaldo's first booking on Sunday.
United's Portuguese winger has his critics, but I'm not one of them. Sure, he wanted to join Real Madrid last summer, far from knocking him I personally believe that we should admire him for his honesty. A famous ex-United star joined Real Madrid but went about it in an entirely different way when trying to blame the club for his move, when all along his agents had been trying to work his ticket behind the scenes.
The sad fact is that some fans, for whatever reason, will always try to find fault in big star names. It is especially disappointing, as in the case of Ronaldo that some of them happen to be United supporters.
There have also been accusations that Ronaldo is a "diver". Let's get one thing straight here, only English fans, who are too easily led by our all too often jingoistic media, have a problem with players trying to win at all costs.
In South America and pretty much the rest of Europe, cheating or winning at all costs, is an accepted part of the game. This view is a more adult way of looking at what is after all a game, the aim of which is to win. It is up to the referee to sort out any cheating or gamesmanship.
The English seem to have this old fashioned notion that there should be gentlemen and players. In contrast in Italy all they are concerned about is winning, it is partly why they have won the World Cup so many times and it's also partly why England have only won it once. Former Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli pretty much made the same observations after several years in English football.
Perhaps even worse still is our one-eyed treatment of foreign stars like Ronaldo. After the recent Villarreal game, Wayne Rooney admitted that he'd dived inside the penalty area when seeking to win a penalty. Has anyone come out and called Wayne Rooney a cheat? No, there was more or less a deathly silence.
I'm not sure why some English fans have a general dislike of Ronaldo, I can only put it down to jealousy, because he has it all. Despite what the naysayers will try to have us believe, Ronaldo is a worthy winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or. All I will say to the boneheads who dislike Ronaldo is that I'm glad he's one of ours and he doesn't play for Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool.
Fergie has often spoken out about the need for protection for players like Ronaldo, because there's another big problem in English football, which is that the opposition and to an extent even referee's are happy to see Ronaldo being kicked up and down dale, it seems to be the case that the officials have the attitude of "it's okay, it's only Ronaldo, he's a cheat you can kick him..".
Part of the problem is that referees are too easily influenced by the crowd and the media and the sad fact is - as Howard Webb showed at the weekend - all too often they do not know when and when not to produce yellow or red cards.
Ronaldo is a great player, in my view he is not a cheat, he will always be fouled because he moves his feet and the ball so quickly. But on this point I have a degree of sympathy with referees' who have to make spit-second decisions.
In bid to help the officials get it right more often there's has been talk of introducing video evidence. On open play, I say forget the notion of introducing evidence, reason being the experts often cannot agree even after reviewing footage over and over again.
Take the example of Ronaldo's unjust first booking at Eastlands on Sunday. Graeme Souness and Andy Gray said that Ronaldo had clearly nudged the ball away from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Fully 24 hours later, Alan Shearer on MOTD2 said it was a definite booking. So who is right? The point is, even after 24 hours had elapsed it comes down to an opinion, but importantly the experts cannot agree. If that is the case then we might as well leave it to the man-in-the-middle. All it would do is transfer responsibility away from the referee and I suppose there's an argument for that in reducing a degree of pressure, but it will not undisputedly mean that referees' decisions are more often right than wrong as illustrated by the point about Ronaldo's first booking on Sunday.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Fergie tames Tigers' then vows to gun down Calderon over Ronaldo..
It's a testament to Phil Brown's achievements at Hull City this season that after taking a 4-1 lead the Champions were left hanging on at the end of a pulsating, if error ridden game, that finished 4-3.
It's not often that the United home crowd see visiting teams come to Old Trafford and throw men forward in pursuit of three points, but that is precisely how the Tigers approached Saturday's encounter with the Red Devils.
Ronaldo opened the scoring after just three minutes when he linked-up with Berbatov, the goal came about after the Portuguese winger knocked the ball back to the Bulgarian on the edge of the Tigers penalty area who then played it back to Ronaldo who made no mistake with a smart finish at the near-post.
Hull fought back and equalised on 23 minutes after Vidic gave away a cheap free-kick on United's left flank for shirt-pulling, Daniel Cousin, scored with a good header from a well worked set-piece.
Six minutes later, returning from injury Michael Carrick restored the Champions advantage, following a sweeping move that was started by a somewhat out-of-sorts Wayne Rooney and then Dimitar Berbatov, who is really starting to pull the strings for United. Carrick was rather fortunate to see his low-driven arrow-like shot go through legs of Paul McShane on its way into the corner of the rigging.
United extended their lead before the break and once more it was Dimitar Berbatov was at the heart of another attacking move, which ended with Rooney being felled inside the Hull penalty area before the ball ran out of play. From the resulting corner Ronaldo crashed home a powerful header, but once again there was an element of good fortune involved as MsShane had the last touch before the ball flew into the net.
Vidic made it 4-1 on 57 minutes, but the scoring was far from over as Hull's second-half substitute, Mendy, laid to claim to the tag of man-of-the-match, after scoring with a well judged lob after out-muscling Patrice Evra and then winning a penalty after a collision with Ferdinand. Geovanni made no mistake with his spot-kick and in so doing ensured it was a nervy ending for the Champions who were mighty relieved to hear the final-whistle.
As far as entertainment goes, this was a good advert for the Premier League; however, both managers will be unhappy about the manner of some of the defending, especially on set-pieces.
Ferguson will also be slightly concerned about Wayne Rooney, who had a very frustrating afternoon, on several occasions he was left cursing team-mates who elected to shoot rather than square the ball to him. Rooney's frustrations got the better of him, as happens when the dreaded red-mist descends, he could be have been sent-off late-on when dived-in with both feet off the ground following a bounce-up.
From a tactical perspective while Berbatov is bedding-in nicely, concerns persist about the future of Carlos Tevez who made little impact after replacing, Nani, who once again didn't really do enough to warrant a starting place.
Following the introduction of the Argentine, Rooney, was somewhat bizarrely dispatched onto the right-wing which no doubt only added to his woes.
Clearly, Fergie has yet to work out how to get the very best out of his array of attacking options; the hope is that the United manager can keep all of his strikers happy and at the same time find a way of accommodating them all in the same team. With the very real danger of sounding like stuck record, this goal can be achieved if Fergie plays Rooney in an advanced central midfield attacking role and then gives Tevez the wide-left attacking berth.
Men-of-the-match:
Berbatov; showed some fancy-footwork at times, but importantly he used the ball to great effect and almost always played the right ball.
Anderson; worked tirelessly and used the ball well.
Meanwhile, in other news, the war of words between Manchester United and Real Madrid is not over following the Spanish club's failed pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. Earlier in the week Fergie baited Ramon Calderon and his club over their links to the dictator and former backer General Franco, in response the Real Madrid president labelled Fergie as "senile".
Fergie says that he is perfectly happy that United still have Ronaldo and he's more than ready to do battle with Real Madrid in January, should they start their tiresome media games in a bid to prize away Ronaldo. The United manager even went as far as hinting that Ramon Calderon & Co could be heading for Boot-Hill following another duel in the next transfer window.
"There was no question of Ronaldo leaving anyway, absolutely no question."
Ferguson added: "Yes, it's possible that these are the first shots of another attempt to get him. They do it all the time. We're ready.
"We have enough ammunition ready. I'm only using one gun at the moment. I'll get the Gatling gun out in January!" continued Fergie.
How sweet would it be to meet and eliminate Real Madrid from the Champions League this season?...
See all the goals for free from the United vs Hull City game
It's not often that the United home crowd see visiting teams come to Old Trafford and throw men forward in pursuit of three points, but that is precisely how the Tigers approached Saturday's encounter with the Red Devils.
Ronaldo opened the scoring after just three minutes when he linked-up with Berbatov, the goal came about after the Portuguese winger knocked the ball back to the Bulgarian on the edge of the Tigers penalty area who then played it back to Ronaldo who made no mistake with a smart finish at the near-post.
Hull fought back and equalised on 23 minutes after Vidic gave away a cheap free-kick on United's left flank for shirt-pulling, Daniel Cousin, scored with a good header from a well worked set-piece.
Six minutes later, returning from injury Michael Carrick restored the Champions advantage, following a sweeping move that was started by a somewhat out-of-sorts Wayne Rooney and then Dimitar Berbatov, who is really starting to pull the strings for United. Carrick was rather fortunate to see his low-driven arrow-like shot go through legs of Paul McShane on its way into the corner of the rigging.
United extended their lead before the break and once more it was Dimitar Berbatov was at the heart of another attacking move, which ended with Rooney being felled inside the Hull penalty area before the ball ran out of play. From the resulting corner Ronaldo crashed home a powerful header, but once again there was an element of good fortune involved as MsShane had the last touch before the ball flew into the net.
Vidic made it 4-1 on 57 minutes, but the scoring was far from over as Hull's second-half substitute, Mendy, laid to claim to the tag of man-of-the-match, after scoring with a well judged lob after out-muscling Patrice Evra and then winning a penalty after a collision with Ferdinand. Geovanni made no mistake with his spot-kick and in so doing ensured it was a nervy ending for the Champions who were mighty relieved to hear the final-whistle.
As far as entertainment goes, this was a good advert for the Premier League; however, both managers will be unhappy about the manner of some of the defending, especially on set-pieces.
Ferguson will also be slightly concerned about Wayne Rooney, who had a very frustrating afternoon, on several occasions he was left cursing team-mates who elected to shoot rather than square the ball to him. Rooney's frustrations got the better of him, as happens when the dreaded red-mist descends, he could be have been sent-off late-on when dived-in with both feet off the ground following a bounce-up.
From a tactical perspective while Berbatov is bedding-in nicely, concerns persist about the future of Carlos Tevez who made little impact after replacing, Nani, who once again didn't really do enough to warrant a starting place.
Following the introduction of the Argentine, Rooney, was somewhat bizarrely dispatched onto the right-wing which no doubt only added to his woes.
Clearly, Fergie has yet to work out how to get the very best out of his array of attacking options; the hope is that the United manager can keep all of his strikers happy and at the same time find a way of accommodating them all in the same team. With the very real danger of sounding like stuck record, this goal can be achieved if Fergie plays Rooney in an advanced central midfield attacking role and then gives Tevez the wide-left attacking berth.
Men-of-the-match:
Berbatov; showed some fancy-footwork at times, but importantly he used the ball to great effect and almost always played the right ball.
Anderson; worked tirelessly and used the ball well.
Meanwhile, in other news, the war of words between Manchester United and Real Madrid is not over following the Spanish club's failed pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. Earlier in the week Fergie baited Ramon Calderon and his club over their links to the dictator and former backer General Franco, in response the Real Madrid president labelled Fergie as "senile".
Fergie says that he is perfectly happy that United still have Ronaldo and he's more than ready to do battle with Real Madrid in January, should they start their tiresome media games in a bid to prize away Ronaldo. The United manager even went as far as hinting that Ramon Calderon & Co could be heading for Boot-Hill following another duel in the next transfer window.
"There was no question of Ronaldo leaving anyway, absolutely no question."
Ferguson added: "Yes, it's possible that these are the first shots of another attempt to get him. They do it all the time. We're ready.
"We have enough ammunition ready. I'm only using one gun at the moment. I'll get the Gatling gun out in January!" continued Fergie.
How sweet would it be to meet and eliminate Real Madrid from the Champions League this season?...
See all the goals for free from the United vs Hull City game
Monday, October 27, 2008
Brown-nosing Real Madrid trying to get Ronaldo on the cheap?
Real Madrid's silence over the future of Cristiano Ronaldo was all too short, when they knew United were not going to sell their star player to the Spaniards' in the last transfer window, they somewhat reluctantly threw in the towel and temporarily conceded defeat.
Since then we've heard the usual media wind-bags, aka 'informed sources', spinning various lines such as "Real are no longer interested in Ronaldo". However, about a week ago, Bernt Schuster, the Madrid coach, stated that, yes indeed, his club still wants to sign Ronaldo.
In the summer Real used every trick in the book to try to force United to sell Ronaldo, there was even talk that they wanted the player to go on strike and again if we believe what the 'insiders' tell us to be true, the fact that he did not withdraw his labour allegedly upset the Spanish club.
Whatever the truth behind the rumours surrounding talk that Ronaldo was to go on strike, Real Madrid's heavy-handed media assault failed - it was a total disaster because they also lost Robinho.
It came as no surprise then to hear Ramon Calderon over the weekend stating that they don't want to upset United. Clearly having failed with the battering-ram, the Madrid president has changed tactics, because he's now trying to give us the impression that his club are distancing themselves from Ronaldo.
Coming on the back of the latest spin emanating from the Real Madrid president, is it not a bit strange that Marca of all media outlets published quotes attributed to Ronaldo which state that he has committed his future to Manchester United, with the added rider that "I'm happy for now"?
When you think about Madrid's media led summer pursuit of Ronaldo, it was handled very badly, it was dumb, because Ronaldo's price was probably as high as it was ever going to be. Following on from the failed transfer coup of last summer, it appears that Madrid have launched a slightly more subtle approach, with a view to possibly capturing the player for a lot less money.
The form of Ronaldo hasn't reached the heights of last season, there has been various theories punted about this, such as he's not yet fit following his operation. Then there are those who believe that perhaps Ronaldo is holding back.
The very fact that Ronaldo's quotes appeared in Marca adds a certain amount of weight to the theory that this latest burst of media activity surrounding Ronaldo's future is suspicious to say the least. Personally, I don't trust Marca - do they have an office at the Madrid club?
My gut instinct is that Calderon's recent statement over Ronaldo should be dismissed out of hand; the same can be said of the Ronaldo quotes in Marca. What we are seeing is the beginnings of another orchestrated media-led campaign to capture the player next summer.
Ronaldo's future pledge would have more credence if he'd spoken to the British media, rather than the Real Madrid publicity machine that is Marca. Until I hear Ronaldo say that he is totally committed to United I simply do not believe it.
Like many other sensible United fans, I have been more than happy to back Ferguson over Ronaldo and I hope that his faith will be rewarded with yet more silverware. If United win the title or the Champions League again this season, Ronaldo can go as far as I'm concerned, I suspect Fergie has hinted as much to the player, but again I think we the fans should back the manager's judgement over this issue.
Time will tell if I'm right or wrong over Real Madrid's media antics.
Since then we've heard the usual media wind-bags, aka 'informed sources', spinning various lines such as "Real are no longer interested in Ronaldo". However, about a week ago, Bernt Schuster, the Madrid coach, stated that, yes indeed, his club still wants to sign Ronaldo.
In the summer Real used every trick in the book to try to force United to sell Ronaldo, there was even talk that they wanted the player to go on strike and again if we believe what the 'insiders' tell us to be true, the fact that he did not withdraw his labour allegedly upset the Spanish club.
Whatever the truth behind the rumours surrounding talk that Ronaldo was to go on strike, Real Madrid's heavy-handed media assault failed - it was a total disaster because they also lost Robinho.
It came as no surprise then to hear Ramon Calderon over the weekend stating that they don't want to upset United. Clearly having failed with the battering-ram, the Madrid president has changed tactics, because he's now trying to give us the impression that his club are distancing themselves from Ronaldo.
Coming on the back of the latest spin emanating from the Real Madrid president, is it not a bit strange that Marca of all media outlets published quotes attributed to Ronaldo which state that he has committed his future to Manchester United, with the added rider that "I'm happy for now"?
When you think about Madrid's media led summer pursuit of Ronaldo, it was handled very badly, it was dumb, because Ronaldo's price was probably as high as it was ever going to be. Following on from the failed transfer coup of last summer, it appears that Madrid have launched a slightly more subtle approach, with a view to possibly capturing the player for a lot less money.
The form of Ronaldo hasn't reached the heights of last season, there has been various theories punted about this, such as he's not yet fit following his operation. Then there are those who believe that perhaps Ronaldo is holding back.
The very fact that Ronaldo's quotes appeared in Marca adds a certain amount of weight to the theory that this latest burst of media activity surrounding Ronaldo's future is suspicious to say the least. Personally, I don't trust Marca - do they have an office at the Madrid club?
My gut instinct is that Calderon's recent statement over Ronaldo should be dismissed out of hand; the same can be said of the Ronaldo quotes in Marca. What we are seeing is the beginnings of another orchestrated media-led campaign to capture the player next summer.
Ronaldo's future pledge would have more credence if he'd spoken to the British media, rather than the Real Madrid publicity machine that is Marca. Until I hear Ronaldo say that he is totally committed to United I simply do not believe it.
Like many other sensible United fans, I have been more than happy to back Ferguson over Ronaldo and I hope that his faith will be rewarded with yet more silverware. If United win the title or the Champions League again this season, Ronaldo can go as far as I'm concerned, I suspect Fergie has hinted as much to the player, but again I think we the fans should back the manager's judgement over this issue.
Time will tell if I'm right or wrong over Real Madrid's media antics.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Reds cruise to Celtic win, but concerns grow over Ronaldo and Tevez..
Manchester United took a giant step forward towards the next phase of the Champions League at Old Trafford last night when cruising to a deserved three-nil win over Scottish champions Celtic.
The visitors played some good football at times and had the best scoring chances early on in what turned out to be a decent match, but Celtic were badly inhibited by the loss of key players. However, it was United who dominated possession and the Reds pressure was eventually rewarded with two disputed tap-in goals from new striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Wayne Rooney delivered the coup de grâce with another nice finish on 76 minutes to make it nine goals from ten seven games, but for a poor second-half decision by the linesman it would have been ten, but Rooney was adjudged to be offside, in point of fact it was the worst decision of the game by the officials.
It may seem a bit odd to be even suggesting this, given that United cruised to victory over Celtic and are starting to look like a real force again, but all does not look well when you scratch below the surface of selection issues and in particular concerning the future of two big stars names. I refer to Ronaldo and Tevez.
Going into the Celtic match Fergie had announced to the press that Ronaldo would likely be rested. Somewhat bizarrely the United manager reasoned that his former assistant Carlos Queiroz held the view that Ronaldo is not up to playing two games in a week. In his post-match interview Fergie revealed that Ronaldo had read about the decision to rest him in the newspapers, the Portuguese winger immediately asked his manager what he was talking about and demanded that he should play.
Fergie's revelation over this issue raises many questions. Clearly Fergie had not told Ronaldo of his decision to rest him before announcing the news to the media and why exactly did he use his former assistant as an excuse? Surely United's backroom staff know a lot more about Ronaldo's ability to play two games a week rather than the Portuguese who only see him every few weeks?
One cannot but help feel that Ferguson has revealed his not often seen soft-under belly over this Ronaldo selection issue. WE the fans and media hold the view that Ferguson is one tough son of a bitch, he is when the need arises, but he's human too and he finds it very hard to leave out star players, because Fergie's revelation effectively meant that Ronaldo had selected himself to play against Celtic.
We should be applauding the fact that Ronaldo wanted to play, that is if you believe the claptrap about Quieroz, I do not. Here's why.
Fergie has a massive problem to solve; that is how to accommodate all his big star names including Tevez, who isn't getting many games right now. The situation is very unfair on the Argentine, you cannot help but feel that this is partly down to he who shouts at Fergie the loudest as was the case with Ronaldo and presumably Rooney too who was dropped against Bolton recently. No one likes to be left out.
In theory all should be well at United right now, but you would not think so judging by the faces of Ronaldo and Tevez. We all know that Ronaldo will leave United; it's a matter of when and not if. At the same time, United fans will be delighted if we go on to win more silverware and then he is eventually sold, as long as it's not to City and for the right money.
The situation with Carlos Tevez is much more complicated. He has not signed yet and until that happens there must be a chance that a rival will do the right thing by acquiring a truly world class-second striker. Judging by the look on the face of Tevez when he came on against Celtic, he is starting to lose patience with his manager and you can totally understand that.
There is an argument that Tevez should have played more games for United recently, especially if we are going off form, but the team hasn't been selected purely on form of late because if it was Berbatov, despite his tap-ins, wouldn't be in the side.
The downside to Fergie's pecking order is that top players can become disillusioned as could be the case with Tevez.
United fans know and accept that we will eventually lose Ronaldo to Real Madrid, but losing Tevez too would be completely and totally unacceptable given the player really does want to stay if at all possible, at least that is the impression he has conveyed while on the pitch, face like a smacked backside apart.
There is an upside to the current situation as it could be argued that dropping Rooney recently gave him the kick up the derriere that in part led to this sudden goal-rush. Competition for places is no bad thing, as long as it's a fair contest...
Fergie, Fergie sort it out.
The visitors played some good football at times and had the best scoring chances early on in what turned out to be a decent match, but Celtic were badly inhibited by the loss of key players. However, it was United who dominated possession and the Reds pressure was eventually rewarded with two disputed tap-in goals from new striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Wayne Rooney delivered the coup de grâce with another nice finish on 76 minutes to make it nine goals from ten seven games, but for a poor second-half decision by the linesman it would have been ten, but Rooney was adjudged to be offside, in point of fact it was the worst decision of the game by the officials.
It may seem a bit odd to be even suggesting this, given that United cruised to victory over Celtic and are starting to look like a real force again, but all does not look well when you scratch below the surface of selection issues and in particular concerning the future of two big stars names. I refer to Ronaldo and Tevez.
Going into the Celtic match Fergie had announced to the press that Ronaldo would likely be rested. Somewhat bizarrely the United manager reasoned that his former assistant Carlos Queiroz held the view that Ronaldo is not up to playing two games in a week. In his post-match interview Fergie revealed that Ronaldo had read about the decision to rest him in the newspapers, the Portuguese winger immediately asked his manager what he was talking about and demanded that he should play.
Fergie's revelation over this issue raises many questions. Clearly Fergie had not told Ronaldo of his decision to rest him before announcing the news to the media and why exactly did he use his former assistant as an excuse? Surely United's backroom staff know a lot more about Ronaldo's ability to play two games a week rather than the Portuguese who only see him every few weeks?
One cannot but help feel that Ferguson has revealed his not often seen soft-under belly over this Ronaldo selection issue. WE the fans and media hold the view that Ferguson is one tough son of a bitch, he is when the need arises, but he's human too and he finds it very hard to leave out star players, because Fergie's revelation effectively meant that Ronaldo had selected himself to play against Celtic.
We should be applauding the fact that Ronaldo wanted to play, that is if you believe the claptrap about Quieroz, I do not. Here's why.
Fergie has a massive problem to solve; that is how to accommodate all his big star names including Tevez, who isn't getting many games right now. The situation is very unfair on the Argentine, you cannot help but feel that this is partly down to he who shouts at Fergie the loudest as was the case with Ronaldo and presumably Rooney too who was dropped against Bolton recently. No one likes to be left out.
In theory all should be well at United right now, but you would not think so judging by the faces of Ronaldo and Tevez. We all know that Ronaldo will leave United; it's a matter of when and not if. At the same time, United fans will be delighted if we go on to win more silverware and then he is eventually sold, as long as it's not to City and for the right money.
The situation with Carlos Tevez is much more complicated. He has not signed yet and until that happens there must be a chance that a rival will do the right thing by acquiring a truly world class-second striker. Judging by the look on the face of Tevez when he came on against Celtic, he is starting to lose patience with his manager and you can totally understand that.
There is an argument that Tevez should have played more games for United recently, especially if we are going off form, but the team hasn't been selected purely on form of late because if it was Berbatov, despite his tap-ins, wouldn't be in the side.
The downside to Fergie's pecking order is that top players can become disillusioned as could be the case with Tevez.
United fans know and accept that we will eventually lose Ronaldo to Real Madrid, but losing Tevez too would be completely and totally unacceptable given the player really does want to stay if at all possible, at least that is the impression he has conveyed while on the pitch, face like a smacked backside apart.
There is an upside to the current situation as it could be argued that dropping Rooney recently gave him the kick up the derriere that in part led to this sudden goal-rush. Competition for places is no bad thing, as long as it's a fair contest...
Fergie, Fergie sort it out.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
City fans launch petition to stop Ronaldo from joining the Blues...
Many United fans will have no doubt been slightly concerned on hearing the news that City's Arabian owners have pledged to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. The talk is they will make the Reds an offer they cannot refuse, £135m to be precise.
United fans will not want to see Ronaldo in a blue shirt so please sign the petition to stop it from happening...
Sign here...
United fans will not want to see Ronaldo in a blue shirt so please sign the petition to stop it from happening...
Sign here...
Thursday, August 07, 2008
United's boo-boys need to get a grip over Ronaldo dilemma...
So then, after weeks of speculation Ronaldo has confirmed that he's staying, the boo-boys among United's support are now faced with the dilemma of what to do when Ronaldo scores his next goal for the club. Do they cheer, do nothing and act as if nothing has happened?
To be honest, I couldn't care less, because if these so called fans cannot appreciate that Ronaldo was always going to want to play for Madrid given where he comes from then there's no hope really.
What's more the unpalatable truth is that it's highly likely Ronaldo will not be the last United player who will want to join Madrid or Barcelona at some point, especially with so many Brazilians at the club right now. On that note last night the Reds took on Juventus in what turned out to be something of a 0-0 pre-season yawn, that is except for two excellent second-half performances from substitutes Rafael da Silva and Rodrigo.
Rafael is grabbing the Lion's share of the headlines, but I'm personally a lot more excited about his compatriot Rodrigo - his passing and the way he retains possession of the ball for the team in any given situation means it's highly likely that he will soon displace John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher for any midfield slots.
Compare and contrast the distribution of John O'Shea who at times was causing more problems for the United back four than the visitors attack, but when Rodrigo came on he looked class. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Rodrigo or Rafael could one day be on Real's radar, so we United fans will no doubt have to endure more of tedious speculation linking our stars to the Spanish champions.
I personally despise everything about Real Madrid and their slimeball president; his club have done everything within their powers to unsettle Ronaldo in a bid to create friction between the player, the club and its supporters. For me the fact that United and importantly Ferguson, got what he wanted is a victory, a lesser manager would have caved in under the weight of pressure.
I'd love nothing more than the Reds to meet Real Madrid this season and grind them into the Old Trafford turf in doing so knocking them out of the Champions League. Make no mistake, Real Madrid are the ones we should be warring with - not each other, or our star player.
One final question to anyone who is thinking about booing Ronaldo. Who will laugh the loudest when this happens? Our rivals that's who. We will be a collective laughing stock - please do not let his come to being and yes I know that Ronaldo played his part in this sorry saga, let us get the very best of him while he is still with us. We have more chance of retaining the big one with Ronaldo as opposed to without him.
To be honest, I couldn't care less, because if these so called fans cannot appreciate that Ronaldo was always going to want to play for Madrid given where he comes from then there's no hope really.
What's more the unpalatable truth is that it's highly likely Ronaldo will not be the last United player who will want to join Madrid or Barcelona at some point, especially with so many Brazilians at the club right now. On that note last night the Reds took on Juventus in what turned out to be something of a 0-0 pre-season yawn, that is except for two excellent second-half performances from substitutes Rafael da Silva and Rodrigo.
Rafael is grabbing the Lion's share of the headlines, but I'm personally a lot more excited about his compatriot Rodrigo - his passing and the way he retains possession of the ball for the team in any given situation means it's highly likely that he will soon displace John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher for any midfield slots.
Compare and contrast the distribution of John O'Shea who at times was causing more problems for the United back four than the visitors attack, but when Rodrigo came on he looked class. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Rodrigo or Rafael could one day be on Real's radar, so we United fans will no doubt have to endure more of tedious speculation linking our stars to the Spanish champions.
I personally despise everything about Real Madrid and their slimeball president; his club have done everything within their powers to unsettle Ronaldo in a bid to create friction between the player, the club and its supporters. For me the fact that United and importantly Ferguson, got what he wanted is a victory, a lesser manager would have caved in under the weight of pressure.
I'd love nothing more than the Reds to meet Real Madrid this season and grind them into the Old Trafford turf in doing so knocking them out of the Champions League. Make no mistake, Real Madrid are the ones we should be warring with - not each other, or our star player.
One final question to anyone who is thinking about booing Ronaldo. Who will laugh the loudest when this happens? Our rivals that's who. We will be a collective laughing stock - please do not let his come to being and yes I know that Ronaldo played his part in this sorry saga, let us get the very best of him while he is still with us. We have more chance of retaining the big one with Ronaldo as opposed to without him.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Schuster confirms Real's guilt over Ronaldo pursuit...
The oh so tiresome Ronaldo saga drags on and the latest news is that despite Real Madrid's claims that they've played no part in unsettling the player, the Spanish club's German coach Bernd Schuster has confirmed that they ARE doing all they can to secure the player when saying "I think the club is working hard to get a solution to this matter. We will have to see,". Clearly, FIFA's recent decision to do nothing about blatant tapping by Madrid has given them more confidence that they can do what they want in a bid to unsettle players from other clubs, hence Schuster's unwelcome comments.
Meanwhile, with the new season fast approaching it's interesting to note that images of Ronaldo are not appearing in any of Sky's or Setanta's media campaigns. Do the broacasters know something that we don't, or was the decision to drop his image taken to save re-artworking media should the United winger move on? It seems strange that "the best player in the world" has been dropped from promoting the Premier League.
Meanwhile, with the new season fast approaching it's interesting to note that images of Ronaldo are not appearing in any of Sky's or Setanta's media campaigns. Do the broacasters know something that we don't, or was the decision to drop his image taken to save re-artworking media should the United winger move on? It seems strange that "the best player in the world" has been dropped from promoting the Premier League.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Reports claim Ronaldo set to demand Real Madrid move...Fergie's transfer plans in turmoil?
According to the very latest news on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, the player will travel back to Manchester next week and his agent has been quoted saying that Cristiano is still dreaming of a move to Real Madrid and it's "non-negotiable".
If Ronaldo does eventually move on then Fergie's transfer plans could be in turmoil given that any selling clubs will know that the club is cash rich and players like Berbatov will cost several million more. What's more, Arshavin who could potentially fill any gap left by Ronaldo but he looks set to move to Spurs. If United have anything about them they will make a move to delay the Russian moving to the North London club at least until the future of Ronaldo is finalised.
Unlike last summer, United have dithered in the transfer market and if they lose Ronaldo and they don't sign another top class forward then the Reds chances of winning more silverware next season will be significantly diminished.
There's no doubting Fergie has planned on retaining Ronaldo at all costs, this in itself was a huge gamble, let us hope it comes off for the manager in what will probably be his final season in charge of the Red Devils.
If Ronaldo does eventually move on then Fergie's transfer plans could be in turmoil given that any selling clubs will know that the club is cash rich and players like Berbatov will cost several million more. What's more, Arshavin who could potentially fill any gap left by Ronaldo but he looks set to move to Spurs. If United have anything about them they will make a move to delay the Russian moving to the North London club at least until the future of Ronaldo is finalised.
Unlike last summer, United have dithered in the transfer market and if they lose Ronaldo and they don't sign another top class forward then the Reds chances of winning more silverware next season will be significantly diminished.
There's no doubting Fergie has planned on retaining Ronaldo at all costs, this in itself was a huge gamble, let us hope it comes off for the manager in what will probably be his final season in charge of the Red Devils.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
United must not give in to Real Madrid's bullying tactics...
Despite the best attempts of sections of the Spanish and English media while trying to convince us to the contrary, nothing has changed, Cristiano Ronaldo is still a United player. Reds fans will no doubt be sick and tired of hearing the views of so called "experts" telling us that it is only a matter of time before the deal goes through, yesterday Guillem Balague said "as soon as Ronaldo tells United he wants to sign for Real Madrid it will happen". Oh really?
Then we had the bekon of light that is Zidane saying it will happen, because it always does... For their part United remain confident that Fergie will be able to talk Ronaldo into staying with the Champions for one more season, which would coincide with the manager probably retiring too.
The media slant for the most part has been focused on Ronaldo leaving, but in doing Madrid's bidding while trying to convince everyone that it is only a matter of time before this deal goes through, the so called experts have under estimated Ferguson's powers of persuasion. If Fergie managed to talk Eric Cantona out of quitting United he must have a good chance of doing likewise with Ronaldo.
Today the story has been taken to another level with Ronaldo clearly being advised on every step of Madrid's exit strategy. Just 24 hours ago, Ronaldo told the world that he was to undergo surgery in a bid to be fit for next season and that his future would soon become clear. All of a sudden we have been told that there will be no operation and that Ronaldo is going on holiday. With the plot thickening nicely, Madrid's Ramon Calderon has made it clear they will NOT pay £80m, which is a figure that has been bandied around in the unlikely event of United agreeing to sell Ronaldo.
Marca, the unofficial mouthpiece of Real Madrid are claiming that the Spanish club will announce the signing of Ronaldo on July 7th. Marca could teach Lord Haw Haw a thing or two about propaganda where fibbing is concerned. This bullying by Madrid via Marca will hopefully only stiffen United's resolve to keep Ronaldo.
If Ronaldo and his agent have a grain of sense, they will keep their own counsel, because in all probability he will still be a United player next season and by continuing to allow this to go on they are in serious danger of being on the receiving end of a fan backlash. It is to be hoped that when the penny finally drops, either Ronaldo or his agent publicly nail their colours to the United mast in a bid to rebuild bridges with the Red Army at large.
Sadly, we cannot rule out that United may well come to the conclusion that they may well have to sell Ronaldo, but if that should happen then the club must take Madrid for their very last Euro.
United must demand at least £80m - anything less will be seen as a humiliating capitulation, to accept anything less will mean that Real Madrid will have metaphorically kicked sand in the face of the English Champions and in so doing they will have robbed us into the bargain, no doubt to sound of Lord Haw Haw crowing in the background. That scenario cannot and must not be allowed to happen.
Then we had the bekon of light that is Zidane saying it will happen, because it always does... For their part United remain confident that Fergie will be able to talk Ronaldo into staying with the Champions for one more season, which would coincide with the manager probably retiring too.
The media slant for the most part has been focused on Ronaldo leaving, but in doing Madrid's bidding while trying to convince everyone that it is only a matter of time before this deal goes through, the so called experts have under estimated Ferguson's powers of persuasion. If Fergie managed to talk Eric Cantona out of quitting United he must have a good chance of doing likewise with Ronaldo.
Today the story has been taken to another level with Ronaldo clearly being advised on every step of Madrid's exit strategy. Just 24 hours ago, Ronaldo told the world that he was to undergo surgery in a bid to be fit for next season and that his future would soon become clear. All of a sudden we have been told that there will be no operation and that Ronaldo is going on holiday. With the plot thickening nicely, Madrid's Ramon Calderon has made it clear they will NOT pay £80m, which is a figure that has been bandied around in the unlikely event of United agreeing to sell Ronaldo.
Marca, the unofficial mouthpiece of Real Madrid are claiming that the Spanish club will announce the signing of Ronaldo on July 7th. Marca could teach Lord Haw Haw a thing or two about propaganda where fibbing is concerned. This bullying by Madrid via Marca will hopefully only stiffen United's resolve to keep Ronaldo.
If Ronaldo and his agent have a grain of sense, they will keep their own counsel, because in all probability he will still be a United player next season and by continuing to allow this to go on they are in serious danger of being on the receiving end of a fan backlash. It is to be hoped that when the penny finally drops, either Ronaldo or his agent publicly nail their colours to the United mast in a bid to rebuild bridges with the Red Army at large.
Sadly, we cannot rule out that United may well come to the conclusion that they may well have to sell Ronaldo, but if that should happen then the club must take Madrid for their very last Euro.
United must demand at least £80m - anything less will be seen as a humiliating capitulation, to accept anything less will mean that Real Madrid will have metaphorically kicked sand in the face of the English Champions and in so doing they will have robbed us into the bargain, no doubt to sound of Lord Haw Haw crowing in the background. That scenario cannot and must not be allowed to happen.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Fergie 'set to walk' as Real prepare for final crack at Ronaldo move..
As Euro 2008 heads towards the knockout stages of the competition a report in Marca claims that Pedja Mijatovic is preparing for Real Madrid's final crack at the "Ronaldo operation". According to Marca everything is in place, the deal will be worth 50 million Euros and that includes Robinho.
Even if United were ready to sell Ronaldo it would surely be nowhere near enough as we are talking about £40m and a large chunk of that will be down to Madrid's valuation of Robinho - a player who may not even want to come to United. Fergie could be left with just £20m for team strengthening.
Meanwhile, in a separate development Harry Harris of the Daily Express is claiming that Fergie could even walk out if Ronaldo is sold behind his back. The fear is that the Glazers might jump at the chance to cash-in on the player given the club's debt situation.
Fergie has so far played a very canny game via the media, he has publicly stated that the Glazers have been fantastic owners and they would rather sit Ronaldo in the stand rather than sell him to Real Madrid.
Having gone public and stating the Glazers position, the owners will find it very difficult to sell Ronaldo behind the manager's back and in just in case there's any doubt we have today's story courtesy of the Daily Express. Whether or not Fergie or his advisors are briefing the Express would be interesting to know.
My own view is that United fans should be in no doubt whatsoever that Fergie is doing all he can to hang onto this star player and that he's definitely made some very clever strategic moves to outflank any behind the back shenanigans.
Further to which during the recent David Frost interview, Fergie sent out another coded message to the Glazers when stating that the manager is all important and the minute that he is no longer running the show things will go pear-shaped. Fergie's timing was impeccable and United fans will be hoping that the Glazers listen to their manager and that they do not fold. To sell Ronaldo against Fergie's will would be the ultimate act of betrayal on the part of the club and their owners.
IF however, United sold Ronaldo for £40m you can guarantee that the following week Real Madrid will be claiming that they've already got their money back through the sale of merchandising. The Red Devils would be made look like a laughing stock.
Ronaldo will only get better; there should be no rush to sell him now on the cheap to Real Madrid. Ronaldo must stay.
Even if United were ready to sell Ronaldo it would surely be nowhere near enough as we are talking about £40m and a large chunk of that will be down to Madrid's valuation of Robinho - a player who may not even want to come to United. Fergie could be left with just £20m for team strengthening.
Meanwhile, in a separate development Harry Harris of the Daily Express is claiming that Fergie could even walk out if Ronaldo is sold behind his back. The fear is that the Glazers might jump at the chance to cash-in on the player given the club's debt situation.
Fergie has so far played a very canny game via the media, he has publicly stated that the Glazers have been fantastic owners and they would rather sit Ronaldo in the stand rather than sell him to Real Madrid.
Having gone public and stating the Glazers position, the owners will find it very difficult to sell Ronaldo behind the manager's back and in just in case there's any doubt we have today's story courtesy of the Daily Express. Whether or not Fergie or his advisors are briefing the Express would be interesting to know.
My own view is that United fans should be in no doubt whatsoever that Fergie is doing all he can to hang onto this star player and that he's definitely made some very clever strategic moves to outflank any behind the back shenanigans.
Further to which during the recent David Frost interview, Fergie sent out another coded message to the Glazers when stating that the manager is all important and the minute that he is no longer running the show things will go pear-shaped. Fergie's timing was impeccable and United fans will be hoping that the Glazers listen to their manager and that they do not fold. To sell Ronaldo against Fergie's will would be the ultimate act of betrayal on the part of the club and their owners.
IF however, United sold Ronaldo for £40m you can guarantee that the following week Real Madrid will be claiming that they've already got their money back through the sale of merchandising. The Red Devils would be made look like a laughing stock.
Ronaldo will only get better; there should be no rush to sell him now on the cheap to Real Madrid. Ronaldo must stay.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Rival's add third dimension to Ronaldo war of words...
It's well documented that "Big Phil" Scolari has been opening his big mouth a bit too much when telling Ronaldo that in his opinion, the player should join Real Madrid. Scolari is of course entitled to his opinion, but the fact that he is now the Chelsea manager in waiting has added another dimension to the already bitter 'war of words' that has erupted between United and Real Madrid.
We now have a situation whereby the Chelsea and Portugal manager is effectively interfering on the future of a star player from a rival Premier League club.
For their part, Chelsea had always maintained that they were perfectly happy with how their search for a new manager was going. To many observers this "happy scenario" didn't appear to make a lot of sense, which raises the question is it not a fair bet that they always knew that they had Scolari in the bag? We are left to assume that Scolari was their second-choice target with Carlo Ancelotti being number one; because it was only after Ancelotti ruled himself out of the running did Chelsea finally make their announcement about Scolari. This in turn leads us to speculate that Chelsea knew about their prospective new manager openly advising a player from a rival team on his future.
It's doubtful that Chelsea's top-brass will have even mentioned the Ronaldo situation to Scolari, they will have been rightly more concerned with their search for a manager, but the scenario that they could have played a part in what could be described as a KGB style sabotage plot will no doubt give the conspiracy theorists among our support something to chew on.
Nonetheless, rival managers advising players on their future when it has nothing to do with them isn't on. It's a bit like Jose Mourinho advising Ronaldo what to do, or Fergie telling Drogba to move to Milan, it's simply not done. It should be a case of none players off the green. Mind your own business.
At the end of the day, Ronaldo will be his own man, no matter what anyone else says - sadly, that probably includes Fergie. The player will decide what is best for his own future, we United fans will have to just live with it and get on with it if he decides that he wants to go to Madrid.
My gut feeling is that United will NOT sell him to Madrid unless it is for ridiculous money, certainly well over the £60m that has been touted. There has been reports that Madrid will want to offer Robben and Robinho in part-exchange and there's also been suggestions that Madrid do not have the cash to buy Ronaldo outright - which is probably why they're hoping that the Reds will do a deal.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, the simmering tensions between United and the West London club following on from the back end of last season will undoubtedly be further strained.
We now have a situation whereby the Chelsea and Portugal manager is effectively interfering on the future of a star player from a rival Premier League club.
For their part, Chelsea had always maintained that they were perfectly happy with how their search for a new manager was going. To many observers this "happy scenario" didn't appear to make a lot of sense, which raises the question is it not a fair bet that they always knew that they had Scolari in the bag? We are left to assume that Scolari was their second-choice target with Carlo Ancelotti being number one; because it was only after Ancelotti ruled himself out of the running did Chelsea finally make their announcement about Scolari. This in turn leads us to speculate that Chelsea knew about their prospective new manager openly advising a player from a rival team on his future.
It's doubtful that Chelsea's top-brass will have even mentioned the Ronaldo situation to Scolari, they will have been rightly more concerned with their search for a manager, but the scenario that they could have played a part in what could be described as a KGB style sabotage plot will no doubt give the conspiracy theorists among our support something to chew on.
Nonetheless, rival managers advising players on their future when it has nothing to do with them isn't on. It's a bit like Jose Mourinho advising Ronaldo what to do, or Fergie telling Drogba to move to Milan, it's simply not done. It should be a case of none players off the green. Mind your own business.
At the end of the day, Ronaldo will be his own man, no matter what anyone else says - sadly, that probably includes Fergie. The player will decide what is best for his own future, we United fans will have to just live with it and get on with it if he decides that he wants to go to Madrid.
My gut feeling is that United will NOT sell him to Madrid unless it is for ridiculous money, certainly well over the £60m that has been touted. There has been reports that Madrid will want to offer Robben and Robinho in part-exchange and there's also been suggestions that Madrid do not have the cash to buy Ronaldo outright - which is probably why they're hoping that the Reds will do a deal.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, the simmering tensions between United and the West London club following on from the back end of last season will undoubtedly be further strained.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Why Ronaldo WON'T be joining Madrid this summer...
Manchester United finally lost patience with Real Madrid earlier this week when reporting the Spanish club to FIFA over their continued pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. Many pundits in the media are rightly speculating that FIFA will give Madrid little more than a warning on this issue, but the very fact that the Reds have taken this action should be viewed as significant because it means that the club have once again publicly made clear their intent on retaining Ronaldo.
Fergie and David Gill have both stated that the player is going nowhere on numerous occasions. There is no way that United can or will make a complete about turn and sell the player now - how could they after so many declarations and public statements?
Madrid for their part have resorted to desperate measures by allegedly telling Ronaldo to go on strike. The Spanish Champions will doubtless continue to try to unsettle the player, but after being reported to FIFA they will surely know that as far as this summer is concerned the game is well and truly up.
Do not be surprised if Madrid make some sort of half-hearted public apology over the coming days in a bid to mend damaged relations.
Fergie and David Gill have both stated that the player is going nowhere on numerous occasions. There is no way that United can or will make a complete about turn and sell the player now - how could they after so many declarations and public statements?
Madrid for their part have resorted to desperate measures by allegedly telling Ronaldo to go on strike. The Spanish Champions will doubtless continue to try to unsettle the player, but after being reported to FIFA they will surely know that as far as this summer is concerned the game is well and truly up.
Do not be surprised if Madrid make some sort of half-hearted public apology over the coming days in a bid to mend damaged relations.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Why opinion polls on Ronaldo's future are totally and utterly pointless...
Now here's a thing, I notice that The Times are running a poll on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. I have nothing against using polls for gauging public opinion, providing that the sample source can be relied upon to provide an accurate and fair view of those who it directly concerns. On this in instance, let us be clear on one thing. The opinions on Ronaldo and in particular of those in the media and especially those of rival fans matter not one jot. This is about Manchester United and the best player in the world.
A few years ago the Manchester Evening News ran a similar poll on the future of Fergie, for which the manager famously fell out with the newspaper. Reason? The poll was hijacked by "the Bitters", aka Man City fans. The poll results suggested that United fans wanted Fergie out. It was just another example of why polls cannot be relied upon when the sample source is so unreliable.
In the case of Ronaldo - just about every bitter rival fan in the land would love nothing more than to see the back of the best player in the world. What worth is the view of a Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or City fan in this poll? What next should the media canvass the views of Gareth Southgate on the Ronaldo situation? That would be like asking Adolph Hitler for his views on the Jews.
There will always be some United fans who sadly want rid of Ronaldo too. But to those who do want Ronaldo out, remember what the player did for the Reds last season; without him United wouldn't currently be Premier League and Champions League champions.
Also remember that Ferguson wants Ronaldo to stay and why would that be? The answer, just in case anyone needs reminding again is that Ronaldo is the best player in the world. No amount of money Real Madrid can offer will be enough to find an adequate replacement in the short-term. I write that in acknowledgement that we eventually replaced Cantona with Beckham and the latter with Ronaldo.
It's more than a fair bet, the same fans who want Ronald out, are the very same ones who let themselves be influenced by our ever so jingoistic press in the World Cup following the so called fall-out between Rooney and Ronaldo. Sections of the tiresome gutter-press still refer to Ronaldo as 'the winker'.
To those who are being influenced by the media's constant barrage of innuendo, much of it geared towards creating tensions between, club player and supporters, I say remember all of the great goals that Ronaldo scored for the Red Devils last season. Remember Ronaldo's majestic headers against Roma and Chelsea and those fabulous free-kicks. Think about all the great things that Ronaldo has done for United, he is a crowd pleaser like no other, it is why he is in such demand and yet still it appears some so called United fans wold have done with him.
The results of The Times pointless Ronaldo poll will not add anything to the debate, what it will do, worst case, is give the nutters out there more ammunition and further self-belief that selling Ronaldo is really a good thing - now that in itself would be quite remarkable - if only it were actually true...
To anyone looking for guidance on the Ronaldo debate in the form stats, do not forget the phrase "lies, damn lies and statistics", instead think; 42 goals, a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy - now that is what I call statistics.
For those who insist that we should sell Ronaldo, please present your case.
Ronaldo must stay and end of.
A few years ago the Manchester Evening News ran a similar poll on the future of Fergie, for which the manager famously fell out with the newspaper. Reason? The poll was hijacked by "the Bitters", aka Man City fans. The poll results suggested that United fans wanted Fergie out. It was just another example of why polls cannot be relied upon when the sample source is so unreliable.
In the case of Ronaldo - just about every bitter rival fan in the land would love nothing more than to see the back of the best player in the world. What worth is the view of a Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or City fan in this poll? What next should the media canvass the views of Gareth Southgate on the Ronaldo situation? That would be like asking Adolph Hitler for his views on the Jews.
There will always be some United fans who sadly want rid of Ronaldo too. But to those who do want Ronaldo out, remember what the player did for the Reds last season; without him United wouldn't currently be Premier League and Champions League champions.
Also remember that Ferguson wants Ronaldo to stay and why would that be? The answer, just in case anyone needs reminding again is that Ronaldo is the best player in the world. No amount of money Real Madrid can offer will be enough to find an adequate replacement in the short-term. I write that in acknowledgement that we eventually replaced Cantona with Beckham and the latter with Ronaldo.
It's more than a fair bet, the same fans who want Ronald out, are the very same ones who let themselves be influenced by our ever so jingoistic press in the World Cup following the so called fall-out between Rooney and Ronaldo. Sections of the tiresome gutter-press still refer to Ronaldo as 'the winker'.
To those who are being influenced by the media's constant barrage of innuendo, much of it geared towards creating tensions between, club player and supporters, I say remember all of the great goals that Ronaldo scored for the Red Devils last season. Remember Ronaldo's majestic headers against Roma and Chelsea and those fabulous free-kicks. Think about all the great things that Ronaldo has done for United, he is a crowd pleaser like no other, it is why he is in such demand and yet still it appears some so called United fans wold have done with him.
The results of The Times pointless Ronaldo poll will not add anything to the debate, what it will do, worst case, is give the nutters out there more ammunition and further self-belief that selling Ronaldo is really a good thing - now that in itself would be quite remarkable - if only it were actually true...
To anyone looking for guidance on the Ronaldo debate in the form stats, do not forget the phrase "lies, damn lies and statistics", instead think; 42 goals, a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy - now that is what I call statistics.
For those who insist that we should sell Ronaldo, please present your case.
Ronaldo must stay and end of.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Ronaldo "bans" Fergie from training camp...
Reports claim that Cristiano Ronaldo has banned Fergie from visiting Portugal's training camp ahead of Euro 2008. The United manager has been mulling over whether to visit his star player in a bid to convince Ronaldo that he's better off staying put rather than move to Real Madrid.
Luiz Felipe Scolari would welcome the United manager if he decides to embark on this mission, the Portugal coach has concerns over his captain's state of mind anything that Fergie can do to help ahead of Euro 2008 will help his cause.
However, Ronaldo has reportedly told his teammates that Fergie is not welcome and that he's unhappy about the Glazers' threat to sit him in the stands following talk of a summer move to Madrid.
United claim that Ronaldo will not be sold this summer, but their resolve looks set to be tested. Despite this latest report Fergie should visit the player if only to explain his comments about the Glazers'.
Luiz Felipe Scolari would welcome the United manager if he decides to embark on this mission, the Portugal coach has concerns over his captain's state of mind anything that Fergie can do to help ahead of Euro 2008 will help his cause.
However, Ronaldo has reportedly told his teammates that Fergie is not welcome and that he's unhappy about the Glazers' threat to sit him in the stands following talk of a summer move to Madrid.
United claim that Ronaldo will not be sold this summer, but their resolve looks set to be tested. Despite this latest report Fergie should visit the player if only to explain his comments about the Glazers'.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Ronaldo delivers Real Madrid bombshell....
Cristiano Ronaldo has finally come out and confirmed that he wants to join Real Madrid.
The Player of The Year says he wants to leave the Red Devils and join Real Madrid.
Speaking to Terra: "I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it is true they are ready to pay what United ask of them. However, it does not depend on me."
Many United fans will be disappointed with the player, but given Ronaldo's recent vibes about his dream of one day playing for the Spanish club, the news comes as no surprise.
It remains to be seen if United will sell and will they now report Real Madrid to UEFA for unsettling the player?
The Player of The Year says he wants to leave the Red Devils and join Real Madrid.
Speaking to Terra: "I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it is true they are ready to pay what United ask of them. However, it does not depend on me."
Many United fans will be disappointed with the player, but given Ronaldo's recent vibes about his dream of one day playing for the Spanish club, the news comes as no surprise.
It remains to be seen if United will sell and will they now report Real Madrid to UEFA for unsettling the player?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Scolari hints at Ronaldo move to Real Madrid...
Luiz Felipe Scolari has allowed himself to be dragged into Real Madrid's odious and seemingly increasingly desperate attempts to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, speaking to the press at Portugal's Euro 2008 training camp, 'Big Phil' said "I have said to him that in soccer it is not lived on the memories and that there are to take the opportunities when they arrive, because perhaps they do not return in life". Readers of this blog will not be surprised to learn that Marca - Real Madrid's unofficial mouthpiece reported the story.
The sooner Ronaldo ends this speculation by committing his immediate future to United the better, that may not happen until after Euro 2008 but after the Champions League final the player did say that he would make a statement in 15 days time. We live in hope that he is true to his word and then perhaps we the fans can fully focus on new player acquisitions.
The sooner Ronaldo ends this speculation by committing his immediate future to United the better, that may not happen until after Euro 2008 but after the Champions League final the player did say that he would make a statement in 15 days time. We live in hope that he is true to his word and then perhaps we the fans can fully focus on new player acquisitions.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Ronaldo to follow Van Nistelrooy route to transfer list?
According to Marca, Cristiano Ronaldo can put himself on the transfer list in doing so he will make the first definitive step towards a move to Real Madrid. Marca claim that former United star Ruud Van Nistelrooy took the same route out of Old Trafford. However, United fans will know that there's a big difference between the Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy scenarios.
Fergie wanted the Dutch striker out of the club, largely because in his last season he appeared to lose his desire to play for United and he'd started to cause problems in the dressing room, ironically with Ronaldo of all people.
However, many United fans will be alarmed to learn that under Article 17 of Fifa's transfer rules, a player who has signed a contract when aged under 28 can break his contract after three years. A player who is 28 or over, he can break his contract after just two years. Compensation is payable, but crucially if Ronaldo took this route his destiny could lie in his own hands.
In 2007 Andy Webster, the Scotland defender broke his own contract with Heart's when he moved to Wigan Athletic, which set a landmark precedent for players to "buy" out their contract using a Fifa ruling which has been described as "the new Bosman".
But until Webster's case, no player had ever tested the rule. Webster, subsequently moved on from Wigan to Rangers on-loan, compensation of £625,000 was eventually agreed.
So in theory Ronaldo could actually take the same route leaving United and Madrid to agree compensation.
Fergie wanted the Dutch striker out of the club, largely because in his last season he appeared to lose his desire to play for United and he'd started to cause problems in the dressing room, ironically with Ronaldo of all people.
However, many United fans will be alarmed to learn that under Article 17 of Fifa's transfer rules, a player who has signed a contract when aged under 28 can break his contract after three years. A player who is 28 or over, he can break his contract after just two years. Compensation is payable, but crucially if Ronaldo took this route his destiny could lie in his own hands.
In 2007 Andy Webster, the Scotland defender broke his own contract with Heart's when he moved to Wigan Athletic, which set a landmark precedent for players to "buy" out their contract using a Fifa ruling which has been described as "the new Bosman".
But until Webster's case, no player had ever tested the rule. Webster, subsequently moved on from Wigan to Rangers on-loan, compensation of £625,000 was eventually agreed.
So in theory Ronaldo could actually take the same route leaving United and Madrid to agree compensation.
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