Sneijder Saga: The Never Ending Story

This is a post I kept thinking about writing, but have purposely been putting it off and not tackling the subject, not because I have little opinion on the matter or it is not big news, but simply, nobody can get the story straight. Its the proverbial hokey-cokey, one day the transfer is on, the next it is off. The past 24-hours, having turned a complete 180 degrees that the Sneijder deal was eminent to just this past few hours reports have come out that Manchester United are no longer interested in signing the Dutchman.

Anybody who has been talking to me on twitter will know I have mixed emotions on the matter. I will welcome Sneijder if he does eventually sign and if he doesn't I won't see it as the end of the world either.

I think he is a world-class player, who can only add an extra-spark to United in mid-field.

However...I can also see issues with him signing

• We don't want to be breaking our budget for the sake of a big name signing. If Sneijder doesn't reduce his wage demands, then it may not be feasible for the club to sign him. Especially when the transfer fee will be so large and against United's policy of not spending excessive transfer fees on players older than 26years old. 

• If he comes, he will probably not play in a CM role, more likely he will play in the hole behind the striker. Which I believe is where he is most effective. Due to Sneijder's lack of defensive qualities, we will probably still play 2 more centre mid-fielder's behind him. Meaning a formation with room for only 1 forward (Rooney) for most matches, limiting the appearances of Berbatov and Chicharito, never-mind Welbeck and Macheda behind them.

In conclusion, what I really really wish would happen most with this saga.....is that it would END!

Regardless of if we sign him or not, I just wish we knew what was happening. The waiting, the rumours and the countless different sources stating different things is torture. The thing I like about United (and maybe the biggest indicator that the transfer will not happen) is that when it comes to transfers we usually hear nothing until the deal is almost final. Then it is officially announced, like a plaster being pulled off, the quicker it is the better.

In this case its been in the media all summer long & just because this latest report coming out of the United camp says we are no longer interested, I would almost bet my life it will not be the final word on the transfer.





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Obertan - 1st to Fly

Gabriel Obertan has now completed his move from United to Newcastle, we first heard this move would be completed a few days ago with 3million being the figure being mentioned. But as always when Utd are involved the official fee is undisclosed.

You may remember my previous post Fight or Flight, where I spoke of the possibility of Obertan moving on or fighting for a place in the squad. It seems the arrival of Ashley Young has been the final nail in the coffin for the Frenchman. With the extra competition pushing him further down the pecking order at Old Trafford, where he was already struggling to make an impact.


Personally I will be wishing Gabby all the best with his move and feel it is a great move for both himself and Newcastle, especially if the £3million price tag is accurate. In a transfer market when Liverpool and Arsenal have paid £16-20mil and £12-15mill for Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively. Henderson has had a lot more premiership experience than Obertan, getting regular football at Sunderland over the past few seasons. Having said that though I feel Gabby has as much potential as Henderson and with regular football he will become more consistent and will improve on his weaker areas such as his decision making and his final ball.

As for Arsenals move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, I'm getting a very weird case of déjà vu, back in 2006 when they signed up a certain Mr. Walcott was signed up. It will be interesting to see how Arsenal handle this one, will they throw him in the deep end as they did with Walcott or will they give him a proper chance to develop as a player? I am not saying Walcott is not a decent player now but I feel it has taken all these years before he has started to make an impact due to how Arsene Wenger utilised the young man.

I accept the price-tag is much lower for Obertan because of the fact he is French and not English as teams look to buy young, home-grown players to ensure their squads will meet requirements in this area in the future. But this can not deter from the fact that Newcastle have had a bargain, for a player, in Obertan, who has enormous skill and potential with 2-years experience training at Manchester United.

via The Republik of Mancunia

As I have said above, I think it is a good move for both parties involved as I fear Obertan would have found it very difficult too ever break into a regular first team squad at United. He has realised this himself and instead of spending more time at Old Trafford (which must be tempting, even if it will mainly be reserves) and picking up a handful of appearances in the cup competitions, he has stepped up, and moved on to get first team football.

Good luck and Meilleurs vœux Gabby

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Season Starts Now

So the community shield has been and gone, glad to say we beat the city scum and deservedly so. We dominated for the entire game and some how amazingly we went in at half-time 2-0 down. Citys first goal coming completely against the run of play on the 38min, they won a free kick in a dangerous area and some poor defending allowed Lescott a free header. At the time of the goal I thought de Gea got stuck flat on his feet, but looking back it would be hard to expect him to do anything as Lescot got so close.

The goal stunned Man Utd for the remainder of the half, not regaining the control that they had held previous and the pain was compounded on the 45min when Edin Dzeko took a long range effort which caught de Gea of guard. The shot was hit with venom and undeniably swerved in the air but it was clear 'Big Dave' was slow to get down to it.

At this point twitter exploded with the end of the world tweets, we need Sneijder or the season is over, bring back VDS and sell de Gea. It's laughable how many people will panic and jump on the bandwagon! I'd like to point out that at this stage I was disappointed at the 2nd goal we had conceded and to be honest found it hard to see our way back into the game. We had dominated the first half and came out 2-0 down, it seemed it would just be one of those days. But I was not calling for de Gea's head or screaming that our squad was not good enough. We had been so impressive, that regardless of the result of this game I consoled myself that a performance like that every week we should have no problem retaining the title, but held out little hope for the shield at that point.

2nd half starts and with 3 subs on (Cleverly, Jones, Evans for Carrick, Ferdinand, Vidic) Man Utd started the 2nd half as they had the first. We looked the brighter of the two sides once more and eventually got our reward when Chris Smalling got on the end of an Ashley Young free. 6mins later we may have seen the goal of the season already (especially where team-work is concerned) with Rooney taking the ball from midfield and linking up with Nani, Welbeck and Cleverly with some intricate and beautiful 1-touch football, before Nani finished the move with a beautiful chip into the roof of the net.

Finally, we all know what happened in the last minute of the game, Rooney with a large looping clearance from his own box which was latched on to by Nani who was running so fast the air-force he created flung Gael Clichy to the side.

Queue the screams "Oh Fuck, please dont't miss, please don't miss"
                            "OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO MISS"
                            "Hes too close to Joe Hart"
                            *Holds breath - time slows down*
                             ...
                            "GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL"

It was such a weird feeling watching a game with something at stake again after the pre-season friendlies. It was a great feeling and was just exactly what we needed to get ready for the new season. I still hold the same opinion as last week, the result of the game was meaning less, but just taking part in that match can only have done the squad the world of good. If we continue to preform like that this season, we will definitely have more trophies to celebrate come next may.

As for City, how can they expect to be successful this season if they are more worried about kicking and fouling the other team than playing football. Pointing particularly towards Richards, Balotelli and YaYa Toure. Separate incidents where they all had terrible tackles or dived or forgot that Nemanja would tear them to pieces.

Never has such hatred been shown for a player, that I can remember as much as Balotelli, not even Viera, or Tevez (and who could like them?). I think its a statement of the way Man City are as a club that the continue to play him, when he lets them down so often with his behaviour. Sort him out or ship him out. Personally I'd choose the second option and have nothing to do with him, but atleast as long as he is at City we will be able to enjoy his antics as he continues to embarrass the bitter blues.

The main outcome that I have taken from the shield victory is that I cannot wait for next week now as Utd start to play week in week out, the season starts now!

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It Doesn't Mean Anything...but it Doesn't Hurt

Its billed as a seasons curtain-opener by the F.A.

It's viewed as an over-hyped friendly by clubs who are not in it (and sometimes the clubs that do complete)

However you view it, it is better to be in it than not, it is a symbol of the success in the previous season and being Man Utd this means competing more often than not since the premier league was introduced, this will be their 14th appearance since 1993. Unsurprisingly to go along with being the most successful team ever in English League history we also hold the record number of Community Shield victories with 18 (4 of which are shared) and on Sunday we will aim to match up with our league titles and hold the shield for a 19th time, with Liverpool again lurking in our shadows.

The Community Shield (formerly Charity Shield prior to 2002) was established in 1908 with guess who playing in the first ever match?...Yup, you guessed it, United played QPR, but it ended in a draw and was replayed where United won 4-0. This is the only time the fixture has ever went to replay but it has faced many re-incarnations over the years. This match was between the first division champions (United) and the southern league champions (QPR)

Currently it is an exhibition between the League Champions and the F.A. Cup winners (or 2nd place in the league if the Champions also win the F.A. Cup) with 1st Division vs Southern League champions, Amateur vs. Professionals games, England World Cup team vs FA XI side. In fact the last time Man City appeared in the in the shield (1972) it wasn't because the won either the League or F.A. Cup but rather they were invited to partake after Derby and Leeds both decline to take part. Where City, who finished 4th in the 1st division, beat Aston Villa who had just won the 3rd division!

The way I look at the game, is perhaps more positive than most, although I consider the result meaningless, I think its a great opportunity for a competitive match, against (more than likely) one of our close title rivals, since 1998 we have played Arsenal 4 times and Chelsea 3 times, with a few non-title contenders also thrown in there in Porstmouth and *coughs*....Liverpool! Its a great chance to test the current ability of our squad against theirs as well as test our performance and fitness in a competitive environment before the league kicks off.

This years will be particularly competitive as we seek revenge on City from our last meeting at Wembley in last seasons F.A. Cup semi-final, which left them to eventually lift the title. And as always with City, they will be treating this as their biggest game ever, against Man Utd for a trophy. If they were to win it, no doubt they will see it as another step to becoming the dominant force in Manchester and act as if they have won a major trophy. Anybody reading this will no doubt be able to see the flaw in their thinking, although there is obvious bragging rights up for grabs City will surely be doing nothing more than kidding themselves if the result carries any type of weight towards a shift in power within the city.

Perhaps the 3-times they won the Community Shield in the past is what the 3-stars on their crest represents, and then just to embarrassed to admit it and so say its just for decoration.

Anyway, I will finish now as I started, the match is meaningless, but it is better to be in it than not.

Good luck to the boys on Sunday but the results start to matter the following following week at the Hawthorns.