So, this whole Rooney thing...
As a United fan I feel I need to address this, although I really don't know what to say. It's such a strange situation, and I really can't quite understand what Rooney is doing. If it's not money, it's not a falling-out with Fergie, it's not a dream move to his boyhood club, what is it? All this talk about the club's lack of ambition, the lack of investment in players etc smacks of jumping on the anti-Glazer bandwagon.
I can't deny I'm worried about our lack of investment, but I'm not one of those fans jumping up and down because we aren't buying big names at hugely inflated prices. That's not United's way, it's never been United's way. Our greatest successes have come through homegrown talent and youngsters spotted and trained up - think about Fergie's greatest bargains, Ole and Cantona and Schmeichel, players no-one noticed or could see the talent in; look at the homegrown talent, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville. Investing in young players has always been the United way - not big marquee signings like City or Chelsea or Real Madrid.
I won't deny that there have been times I've wished we would invest in some top players; there have been players we've wanted and missed out on, and it has been an issue sometimes. But big names have never been United's future - the young players are. I'm surprised Rooney doesn't see that. He was one of those young players once.
I'm not so much worried about losing Rooney as replacing him. This may be one time we need to invest in someone, a game winner, someone who can turn a game the way Ronaldo and Rooney can. You can't lose talent like that without replacing it somehow, and I just don't think any of our youngsters are there yet. And as far Rooney, I do think he's overhyped. He's a good player, but he's no Messi or Kaka.
I just worry more about our owners, about our debt, and about whether the money really is there when we do want to buy. I hate the fact that United seem to have been bought by the only sodding millionaires in the world without any money. Everyone else has owners plugging money into the club - we have leeches sucking it out. It sucks.
I can't deny I'm worried about our lack of investment, but I'm not one of those fans jumping up and down because we aren't buying big names at hugely inflated prices. That's not United's way, it's never been United's way. Our greatest successes have come through homegrown talent and youngsters spotted and trained up - think about Fergie's greatest bargains, Ole and Cantona and Schmeichel, players no-one noticed or could see the talent in; look at the homegrown talent, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville. Investing in young players has always been the United way - not big marquee signings like City or Chelsea or Real Madrid.
I won't deny that there have been times I've wished we would invest in some top players; there have been players we've wanted and missed out on, and it has been an issue sometimes. But big names have never been United's future - the young players are. I'm surprised Rooney doesn't see that. He was one of those young players once.
I'm not so much worried about losing Rooney as replacing him. This may be one time we need to invest in someone, a game winner, someone who can turn a game the way Ronaldo and Rooney can. You can't lose talent like that without replacing it somehow, and I just don't think any of our youngsters are there yet. And as far Rooney, I do think he's overhyped. He's a good player, but he's no Messi or Kaka.
I just worry more about our owners, about our debt, and about whether the money really is there when we do want to buy. I hate the fact that United seem to have been bought by the only sodding millionaires in the world without any money. Everyone else has owners plugging money into the club - we have leeches sucking it out. It sucks.