The Manchester United Thread

[gangsta_795]

Five ways Alex Ferguson can reclaim his city for Manchester United

Manchester City sense a shifting in the balance of power. "Last year we won the FA Cup and qualified for the Champions League," David Silva said yesterday. "This year we are challenging for the title. Let's see. Hopefully, we can win the title. Then next year we can challenge for the Champions League." Sir Alex Ferguson is in a difficult place, though football has defied those who try to make bold pronouncements about the established order this season. But there are ways for Ferguson to prevent Roberto Mancini changing the guard in the city United have called their own. Here are five of them...

1. Be patient...

Ferguson has become messianic about bequeathing his successor a new generation of players. Or a "foundation", as he put it to Fabien Barthez, in his most revealing interview of the past few years – "a collection of players who stay for a long time, understand each other and are friends, because that is what time does – it builds friendships". That all sounds rosy in theory but some potentially very fine young players are the victims of the ethos because they are being cast into the furnace too soon, in the clamour to demonstrate that United stand for youthful idealism – in juxtaposition to City's brutal spending. Witness Phil Jones on Monday, blasting a cross high over the defence when allotted several yards of second-half space in the box; allowing a ball to loop beyond the dead-ball line on another occasion rather than take it on. Tom Cleverley – not even in Monday's squad – has never played more than four consecutive games, Danny Welbeck never more than three. Yet they are respectively being described as world-class, and England internationals. They need to grow and learn among seasoned players, free of the weight of this responsibility being thrust upon them...

2. Be a big spender...

... all of which means that Ferguson needs to spend this summer. You wondered, when Manchester was awash with blue-and-white scarves on the Metrolink and the school runs yesterday, whether there might be an immediate spending announcement – something, even, on the intended partial flotation of the club on the Singapore Stock Exchange, which would have been timely. The Glazer family have had hopes of raising £600m from the Initial Public Offering (IPO) but that could be on hold until the autumn, to the potential detriment of the transfer kitty. Ferguson now needs to see the colour of the Glazers' money to spend on players who can deliver the moment next season starts. He was outbid by City last summer for Samir Nasri, Mancini's standout player on Monday, and could not meet Wesley Sneijder's demands. The signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Hoffenheim attacking midfielder flourishing on loan at Swansea City, would give him another £10m bracket player. But it is by meeting the £30m that Lille will ask for Eden Hazard, whom Ferguson sees in a possible central role, that United will find a game-changer. Patrice Evra did not remove the question marks about himself on Monday and his position is one where Ferguson has nothing in reserve.

3. Think midfield

"I think people are too obsessed with the idea of a replacement [for me]," Paul Scholes said recently. But United are in a very difficult place with the midfield area where Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-sung and Scholes – combined age 136 – were eclipsed by the natural force of Yaya Touré at the Etihad. Park, who had not played a minute of first-team football since 15 March, feels like a player on the way out of Old Trafford at 31. Significantly, Ferguson recently acknowledged publicly that 24-year-old Anderson has yet to reach his potential, five years after United signed him. Darren Fletcher's future is also entirely unclear, though he hopes to have recovered from a bowel condition to play for United again. Scholes indicated on Sunday that he wants another year but he cannot go on indefinitely. United may win a 20th Premier League yet, allowing Ferguson some self-satisfaction when those questioning his side now are sitting before him. But even a title won't obviate the need to strengthen.

4. Be Manchester United

While David Silva proclaims today that his side have crossed a psychological Rubicon, his opposite number, Nani, is silent. The Portuguese winger withdrew yesterday morning from a sponsors' appearance scheduled for 5pm last night. That seemed rather symbolic, though, for all the confidence Silva's words ooze, Monday night's game was one that United surrendered, as was their eight-point lead, not necessarily something that City have gained. City's key match-winning tactic was a very prosaic one: billeting Carlos Tevez in the six-yard box to prevent David de Gea leaving his line to meet crosses. This strategy was repeated three times, on one of which Vincent Kompany applied the decisive header. Losing because you got your tactics wrong – United staked everything on their ability to shut City down, isolated Wayne Rooney and did not use arguably their player of the season, Antonia Valencia – is a different proposition to being outplayed. That's why the title is most certainly not over and the revised view of Roberto Mancini handling pressure like a God may be a touch premature. Beating Norwich City, West Bromwich and Wolves – the opposition in City's so-called return from the dead – is one thing. St James' Park on Sunday is another.

5. Be selfish

The Glazers have found a remarkably loyal servant in Ferguson, an individual who, at every turn, has praised the independence they afford him and who has insisted, in the teeth of every question on the subject, that the money to spend is there if he wants it. His biggest outlay on a player was £30m on Dimitar Berbatov, four years ago. That United should have retained their position at the pinnacle of the English game is a testament to his own powers of management, as we head into the penultimate weekend of another campaign. Though some may question his defensive strategy at the Etihad, it revealed a manager who has long since had to discard the notion of United being a team of invincibles, who can only play to win. As time runs out on his Old Trafford career, Ferguson does not have the time to build a new side from scratch, and if he does not make a further substantive launch into the market for players of the same calibre as Yaya Touré, Sergio Aguero and David Silva, he risks the epitaph to a golden quarter century being that he was the manager with whom City caught up in the end.

[Tutankhamun]

Anyone else think Ferdinand won't be a regular starter next season? I can't see SAF dropping Evans if favor of Rio when Vidic is back.

[yourmumsface17]

They will all just get injured again as per usual and it'll be whoever is fit plays.

[Tutankhamun]

Newcastle won 2-0 against Chelsea. Hope they left some in the tank for City.

[yourmumsface17]

Newcastle won 2-0 against Chelsea. Hope they left some in the tank for City.

My word

[manutdfan]

Nice one Newcastle keep it up!

[R3D D3V!L]

Fergie sign him up.

[mankind]

Do we start to believe?

[yourmumsface17]

No

[LfCpS3]

I dont know about you guys, but i think i prefer that to Crouch's goal.

[T0PGUN]

Watched the game live on sky sports germany... awesome goal!
Ref gave 10 mins injury time :/

[yourmumsface17]

I dont know about you guys, but i think i prefer that to Crouch's goal.

Which Crouch goal? The one against City (If I remember rightly)

[Xelis]

My word

Wow. Newcastle have found some gems this season. Ben Arfa's goal a few weeks ago was amazing yet no one talks about it.

[Tutankhamun]

David Moyes likely to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson - Tommy Docherty

"If I was a gambling man I would say David Moyes," said Docherty. "He's an ex-player, but not a great player, just as Sir Alex wasn't a great player, but their records as managers are fantastic.

"Alec will probably move upstairs, but he will want a new manager who knows how the game is played, how the club should be run and keep in contact with him about what's going on."

BBC

That's my bet, too.

[Firefox]

Thought Ben Arfa wouldn't become a great player.. but it seems Wenger was right about him all these years.

[manutdfan]

Tiote would be a great signing for us type of player we need.

[R3D D3V!L]

I'd take him and Cisse for sure.

[LfCpS3]

Which Crouch goal? The one against City (If I remember rightly)

Yep.

[yourmumsface17]

Yep.

That was good, prefer the Cisse one too, outside of the boot technique, wonderful goal. Can't believe he had the audacity to actually try that.

[three3-times]

Makes sunday a lil interesting now that newcastle will still have to go for a win..... but i hold very lil hope. we will probably drop more points against swanse anyway.

i would like to see a CM pairing on clevz and carrick with rooney and berba upfront.

[manutdfan]

Well if we can't beat Swansea at home now and put pressure on City against Newcastle then we don't deserve to win it. We'll put Swansea though IMO.

[mankind]

Well if we can't beat Swansea at home now and put pressure on City against Newcastle then we don't deserve to win it. We'll put Swansea though IMO.

Newcastle play City first, then we play Swansea

[three3-times]

thats correct, sunday, city play 1st then we do.

[yourmumsface17]

Is better that way when city win we can go all out attack

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

[Tutankhamun]

Manchester United's Anderson is bait for the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’

Manchester United are closing in on the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’ – and could be ready to offload Anderson to secure him, writes Stuart Mathieson.

Porto’s exciting Colombian winger James Rodriguez ticks all the boxes for Sir Alex Ferguson as he plans ahead to revamp the Reds next season and inject more flair and pace into his side.

Rodriguez will be 21 in July and also fits in with Fergie’s accent on youth and potential.

The South American is rated at £25m and his impact in Portugal since arriving from Club Atletico Banfield in Argentina has seen him dubbed the new Ronaldo.

Manchester Evening News

I'd make that deal. I have given up on Anderson a long time ago, he just doesn't have the physicality to stay fit.