*Official* English Football Season 2008-2009

[Tom Halsey]

Ronaldo in "bigger **** than we gave him credit for" shocker. By Daniel Taylor in today's Guardian:

First of all a little story to tell you what kind of man we are talking about. It is January 9, 2008, and in an upstairs room at Manchester United's training ground five elderly men in smart blazers are struggling with their emotions in front of a hushed audience. It is the club's media day building up to the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster and Sir Bobby Charlton's polite smile does not hide the fact he is trembling as he takes his seat. Bill Foulkes is straight-backed and dignified but only a couple of questions have been asked before the tears appear in his eyes and he reaches for a glass of water.

In an adjacent room Wayne Rooney has agreed to offer a modern-day perspective of that seminal day when 23 people, including eight members of Sir Matt Busby's team, were killed in the wreckage of the burnt-out BEA Elizabethan. It is not his specialist subject but he handles the occasion with dignity and more eloquence than some people might imagine. But then Cristiano Ronaldo comes through the double doors and the mood is broken.

He is wearing a white suit jacket and ripped jeans, looking every bit the boy-band hunk, but it is very obvious he is in a bad mood. He begins by berating Karen Shotbolt, the club's press officer, because he is waiting for Rooney and the event has over-run. He is banging his watch with his hand, flapping his arms and gesturing in the way that Portuguese footballers usually reserve for fussy referees and, at first, he is so animated it appears as if it might be a wind-up.

When he flounces back through the doors, cursing loudly, it is very obvious he is being deadly serious. Rooney is professional enough to carry on with his tribute but the attention is no longer exclusively on him. Thirty seconds later Ronaldo appears again, first rapping his forefinger against the glass in the door, then opening it by a fraction and starting to whistle at Rooney in the way that a farmer beckons his sheepdog.

It was such an unpleasant scene the journalists decided not to write about it because we had been invited to the training ground to cover a far more important subject and, when you have sat with men as noble as Charlton, Foulkes, Albert Scanlon, Harry Gregg and Kenny Morgans and seen the hurt in their eyes, it felt incongruous to veer off-track. But coming away from Carrington that day it was difficult not to wonder what had become of the pimply teenager with the braces on his teeth who had been photographed, in his first few weeks as a United player, holding hands with his mother, Dolores, as they crossed a busy Manchester street.

There's little doubt that he's a **** as a person, tbh.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Can't think of anyone I'd rather see face down under a thousand tons of elephant ****.

 

[Johnners]

That's completely false and I'd like for you to do some reserach about those transfers before letting your bias get in your way.

And the last paragraph, Real Madrid have been unsettling Ronaldo for quite a while now. Those big clubs going in for smaller club's player thing happens only over say a transfer season with maybe one or two mentions during the regular season. Not so with this, Madrid have been making known thier intent for months on end. Completely different. Agree though that big clubs shouldn't be doing that, but it's the same as Barry with Liverpool. Hargreaves case was prolonged because of injury and Bayern trying to get the upper hand. They were always gonna sell him.

 

[roseboy64]

Meh....

 

[Craig]

 

[aussie]

First of all, a world class striker should not blame a formation on his lack of form, his role was not entirely alien at Barcelona, as he was mainly utilised on the left as he was at Arsenal, so to blame his lack of form on this doesnt cut it.

Secondly, his truly disasterous miss against Holland the other day was truly abysmal, again, a world class striker who is worth is salt should have put that away, absolutely no excuse for being so wasteful.

Don't get me wrong, I like Henry, and as an Arsenal fan he is one of my all time heroes, but he's gone, pure and simple, not the same player.

All true, but a ``has been`` is too strong of term for me, Just past his peak. A has been for me would have been Ian Botham from 1986 onwards (except for mis minor heroics in the 92 WC)

 

[cpr]

So Steinschweiger (cbf checking the spelling) wants to come to the Prem. We'll have him thanks, forget he's so young because he's been in the Bayern first team so long. Use the £50 odd million we get for Ronnie wisely, esp so if we get Sneijder out of the deal too. Personally reckon we should tell Madrid they can have Ronnie for £5m..... plus Casilas

Just need a new right back and a striker then.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Casillias will never leave Real, and they'd never let him go. Not for anyone, I'd reckon.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

So Steinschweiger (cbf checking the spelling) wants to come to the Prem. We'll have him thanks, forget he's so young because he's been in the Bayern first team so long. Use the £50 odd million we get for Ronnie wisely, esp so if we get Sneijder out of the deal too. Personally reckon we should tell Madrid they can have Ronnie for £5m..... plus Casilas

Just need a new right back and a striker then.

30m of that is going to Berbatov, which we will use to get...well pretty much every player under the sun if The Sun &co are to believed.

 

[Barney Rubble]

That's completely false and I'd like for you to do some reserach about those transfers before letting your bias get in your way.

And the last paragraph, Real Madrid have been unsettling Ronaldo for quite a while now. Those big clubs going in for smaller club's player thing happens only over say a transfer season with maybe one or two mentions during the regular season. Not so with this, Madrid have been making known thier intent for months on end. Completely different. Agree though that big clubs shouldn't be doing that, but it's the same as Barry with Liverpool. Hargreaves case was prolonged because of injury and Bayern trying to get the upper hand. They were always gonna sell him.

Well, I elaborated on the whole "dream move" bit, but I'd like to see you prove that none of the first three transfers actually happened. Also, I'm still at a loss to name a Real player that's moved to United. My facts were entirely correct, everything that could be deemed false is all based on conjecture anyway, and speculation like that matters exactly zero.

However, I re-iterate my original point, with my anti-United propaganda stripped away - it's the way modern football works. This isn't just directed at roseboy or anyone else in particular. You're the Premiership and European Champions, United. Deal with it and stop whining.

 

[aussie]

So Steinschweiger (cbf checking the spelling) wants to come to the Prem. We'll have him thanks, forget he's so young because he's been in the Bayern first team so long. Use the £50 odd million we get for Ronnie wisely, esp so if we get Sneijder out of the deal too. Personally reckon we should tell Madrid they can have Ronnie for £5m..... plus Casilas

Just need a new right back and a striker then.

Schweinsteiger (spell check also) looks good, but i highly doubt we could get Wesley or Casillas though, probably Van der Vart.

Losing Ronaldo (potentially) though does mess up our balance even though the german would be an ok replacement. Madrid will potentially have the two best wingers in the world now.

If Ronaldo does leave though although disappointing i can't say i'm surprised given his personality an all. You know pretty boy, flashy character added to the fact that our city here isn't the most exciting in the world (average clubs, average women), in a way Madrid probably suits the boy.

 

[roseboy64]

Well, I elaborated on the whole "dream move" bit, but I'd like to see you prove that none of the first three transfers actually happened. Also, I'm still at a loss to name a Real player that's moved to United. My facts were entirely correct, everything that could be deemed false is all based on conjecture anyway, and speculation like that matters exactly zero.

However, I re-iterate my original point, with my anti-United propaganda stripped away - it's the way modern football works. This isn't just directed at roseboy or anyone else in particular. You're the Premiership and European Champions, United. Deal with it and stop whining.

Halsey already explained the transfers so I'd direct you to his post.

Agreed its' how modern football is but there's a limit. Scolari doing his best to help Madrid too.

 

[Craig]

Casillias will never leave Real, and they'd never let him go. Not for anyone, I'd reckon.

It would be like Man U selling the likes of Giggs etc. Or Paolo Maldini playing for another club.

 

[sledger]

There's little doubt that he's a **** as a person, tbh.

What actually is quite surprising, is that SAF actually must tolerate this sort of thing from him if that article is to be believed, which is most odd, as he is well renowned for usually showing this sort of character the door or whipping them into line, mind you, a bad attitude maybe a fair trade for the kind of performances he put in last season.

 

[duffer]

Nasri's official website says he's signed for 4 years now. Deal done.

 

[Matteh]

Mansfield have very nearly been bought out. Can actually start thinking about having a manager and a squad now, still have Boulding for now, secretly hoping we keep him.

 

[Craig]

Emmanuel Adebayor's agent reckons he is 80% a Milan player. Arsenal - Serie A's new feeder club.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

They're getting 23m for him or something, I'd sell him quicker than I inhale a large quarter pounder meal. He's not worth half of that, imo. They could probably get Villa from Valencia for that.

 

[sledger]

Hmm dunno tbh, as an Arsenal fan I wouldn't be pleased to see him go, he adds a bit of height and phsycality to the attack, and scoring as many goals has he did last season isn't something to turn your nose up at. Though i'd like Villa at Arsenal very much, I would prefer him to partner Adebayor up front rather than replace him. That said, Adebayor is probably easier to replace than a lot of other members of the first team...I'd be surprised if he leaves tbh.

 

[jammay123]

tottenham seem set to sign the psv goalie gomes. bye bye robbo. woooooooo!