Source: Wikipedia

Manchester United’s struggle with the Glazers and their debt figures seem to be evidence that foreign takeovers are more than likely to fail.

The situation is starting to look increasingly desperate at the world’s biggest club as yet another year has revealed the poor financial health the club finds itself in.

The Glazers’ released the documents today which confirmed that the debt for Man Utd’s parent company, Red Football Joint Venture Ltd now stands at a massive £716 million.

To add to the ire amongst the Man Utd supporters were reports that the Glazer brothers were making huge drawings for their own personal purposes.

Things are looking especially bleak for the Red Devils as the Glazers are believed to be considering selling Old Trafford or the training ground facilities at Carrington.

And amidst all this chaos voices from inside Manchester seem to suggest that the club may opt to sell some of its big names like Wayne Rooney to allow more funds to come in.

So how bad is the situation for the Glazers exactly?

Fact & Fiction

The first thing one needs to do is dispel the inevitably crazy stories which keep coming up in the media.

The likelihood of the Glazers selling Old Trafford is almost next to nil as the stadium holds a great significance in the history of the club.

Any such move is likely to lead to fans trying to bring down the Red Devils management and the Glazers won’t be able to silence their discontent this time.

Similarly Wayne Rooney’s links to Barcelona are the concoctions of the media trying to move this story ahead.

There is no one in the current squad who is more important to the team than Rooney. Sir Alex Ferguson would personally throttle the brothers if they start offloading players.

As for the debt levels £716 million is an astronomical figure but in football such figures have become common.

Around Europe many of the top sides have debt in excess of £250 million. The Times revealed the debt levels of various clubs recently.

• Real Madrid – £609m
• Barcelona – £436m
• Internazionale – £386m
• AC Milan – £348m
• Arsenal – £300m (approx)
• Liverpool – £250m (approx)

Foreign Takeovers

If you look at the debt with United and Liverpool it has almost entirely been incurred during the takeover bids launched by their respective owners.

The Glazers and Gillet & Hicks borrowed extensively to buy the majority controlling stake in the clubs and are now tasked with paying it back.

Unfortunately for the club this means that its financial module is overhauled because of the new management and it now needs to cope with the added borrowings.

This season one of the prime reasons why none of the Big Four bought heavily was in order to refinance their debt levels.

Chelsea have successfully paid off theirs, Arsenal incurred their debt due to building the Emirates stadium but despite their reimbursements being regular the debt levels are coming down slowly.

It is thus clear that takeovers might bring in with them a huge influx of cash, but in the long run the club needs to pay it off one or another. And on most occasions they need to really tie their purse strings to service the repayments.

A Domestic Model

There have been past examples for the Premier League where the owners’ discomfort has resulted in the team’s downfall. The last such instance being Newcastle’s relegation in the previous season.

Leeds Utd also experienced a severe meltdown as the owners were unable to repay the borrowings and the team went from European semifinalists to third division football in just over half a decade.

In such circumstances it looks like that in club management tactics England has fallen far behind its European counterparts. French champions Bordeaux boast of remarkable talent in their squad but have no debts weighing them down.

Even in Spain the likes of Sevilla have managed to create extremely competent squads without the injection of some foreign capital. The team has been founded on nurturing and spotting young talent.

It seems that English sides too should think of returning to the days of developing talents than wait for wealthy owners to buy the club and throw money out of the window.

Because even if you the fans don’t realize it at that time that money being thrown around has to be eventually repaid.

Official Logo

The Argentine has been bought on a free transfer as his contract at Atletico Madrid was due to expire at the end of the season.

He will wear the number 17 jersey at Anfield.

Maxi’ goal scoring ability is also well known and his most famous strike came at the 2006 World Cup when he scored against Mexico in extra time.

Rodriguez who had been an integral part of the Atletico Madrid squad for the past five seasons was not getting much first team action this year.

So the move to Anfield should provide him a valuabe opportunity to stake a claim for the Argentine World Cup squad.

Rafa’s Delight

Rafa Benitez was delighted with his new signing and said that the team was looking for “players with character and a good mentality”.

He then went on to praise the versatility of the Argentine winger saying that “He can play in three positions on the right, left and as a second striker”.

Rafa added further that “He is comfortable on the ball, can pass and keep possession. He is good at getting into the box and scoring goals and a good finisher”.

Rodriguez already knows some of his team-mates at Merseyside very well having playing with Javier Mascherano for Argentina and with Fernando Torres at Atletico.

His signing will only increase the rumors of Ryan Babel leaving the club as the Dutchman is supposedly unsettled at Liverpool.

Source : Wikipedia

Carlos Tevez continued his excellent run of form which saw him win the Player of the Month for December with a brilliant hat trick.

The Argentine scored early in the first and second halves and his third goal came in injury time during City’s demolition of Blackburn.

Tevez’s first came after just six minutes as a Martin Petrov corner was fumbled by Paul Robinson and Benjani’s mis-hit shot was deflected in.

Micah Richards scored the second after his 50 yard run released Benjani who hit the post bu the ball fell to Richards who duly obliged.

Carlitos put the result beyond doubt four minutes after half-time as his curling shot from the edge of the area made it three for City and two for him.

Despite Blackburn scoring through Morten Pedersen in the  71st minute there was never any chance of them making a come back.

The final goal came in the first minute of injury time as Tevez completed his third with an almost identical strike to his second goal. The four goal glut sees City climb into the top four after a long time.

Ever Improving

Since his switch of allegiance from the red side of Manchester to the blue, Tevez has been an ever improving player at the Eastlands.

He has now scored nine times in the last six games for the Citizens and is hugely responsible for propelling the team towards the summit.

His former employers across town must now be left pondering whether they made the right move in not extending the Argentine’s contract.

City coach Roberto Mancini is centering his team’s philosophy around him and that must infuse Tevez with a great deal of confidence.

If Tevez can continue this rich vein of form it will surely cause a rustle at the top end of the table with all teams dropping points regularly.

He and the City fans will especially hope that Carlitos can do some damage against United in their upcoming league cup semifinals.

Source : Wikipedia

Phil Neville proved once again that he is probably the most under-rated player in the Premier League during his Everton side’s draw with Arsenal.

The cold and the snow in London did not hamper 60,000 fans from travelling to the Emirates stadium as they witnessed a highly exciting game.

A deflected Thomas Rosicky effort two minutes into injury time denied Everton what would have been a hard fought but deserving victory.

A star for me in Everton’s determined performance was their captain Phil Neville who was instrumental in keeping Arsenal at bay for long periods.

Neville single-handedly was responsible for clearing half of Arsenal’s attacks. He followed the ball in his area like a bloodhound protecting his kennel.

There was no remorse shown and tackle after tackle, clearance upon clearance showed just what a pivotal role the captain plays in this growing Everton side.

However despite all his heroics for the Toffees Neville surprisingly never draws any interest from the big clubs nor does he seem to appeal to England manager Fabio Capello.

Neville The Devil

Neville who is known for his fiery character has a workman like attitude about him. He goes about doing his job on the pitch with precision and diligence.

Ever since he moved from Manchester United to Everton in 2005, Neville has been allowed to express himself much more on the field.

He may not be the most offensive full back but he surely is one of the more efficient ones as he routinely is the cause for the termination of any opposition attack.

His uncompromising nature makes it even harder for players to get by him as he will bring all his grit and determination to thwart a player from getting by him.

This however is the same attitude which has landed Neville into trouble on many occasions and he is notoriously famous for the number of bookings he picks up.

In fact in his first season at the club he accumulated 10 yellow cards and 2 red cards. However, since then his mauling nature has greatly reduced and he had an excellent campaign last season.

Versatility

Throughout his career Phil has played in various positions on the park. In fact he may as well have been playing on another type of pitch had he not chosen football over cricket at age 15.

At Man Utd he used to occupy the left back position whilst his brother Gary would patrol down the right. At Everton he has been used at left back, right back and central midfield.

It is in the midfield that Neville has excelled at Everton but today’s performance at right-back displayed that he is very well capable of assuming that role.

And this is the role I feel he will fit into perfectly in the England squad. Capello has struggled to find a right back whilst he has been at the helm with the elder Neville now well past it.

Glen Johnson is the obvious choice for this role but Neville would not be a bad backup by any means. He has yet to make an appearance at the World Cup and it is unlikely he will do so now.

But I for one would love to see him once again in the England squad and I feel quite certain that he is worthy of such an opportunity.

Source : Wikipedia Commons

Patrick Viera is set to seal a return to the Premier League with Manchester City where he joins up with his former Inter coach Roberto Mancini.

Arsenal icon Viera is soon to become a Citizen with reports suggesting he will sign a 18 month deal with Manchester City this afternoon.

City delayed their usual press conference on Thursday with some suggesting it was to accommodate Viera’s arrival at the club.

Viera will thus become the first signing for the club under new coach Roberto Mancini, who was with the Frenchman for two years at Inter.

Jose Mourinho had confirmed yesterday that Inter’s match against Chievo was Patrick’s last for the club. Since then matters have moved swiftly and Viera has already arrived in England.

Viera was struggling to find a starting place at Inter and he was looking for some first team football to make the French World Cup squad.

He is likely to find that at Manchester City who were desperately lacking a player with his qualities in their squad.

What Viera Brings To City?

I feel that this may be one of City’s best signings so far as their defensive play has been appalling at times this season.

Before Mancini’s arrival at the Eastlands the team had conceded nine goals in their previous three games. But since the Italian arrived the team has registered three clean sheets.

Viera should only help to make things tighter at the back. The Frenchman despite not being the same player he was at Arsenal still possesses acute tactical sense.

He is like to play between the midfield and the defence. The only player capable of filling that role at City currently is the inept Nigel De Jong.

Whilst City have no problem scoring goals with a great attack, Viera’s presence will give them the solidarity they desire in the middle of the park.

His arrival in Manchester is clearly a sign of things to come with Mancini determined to plug all the defensive gaps. So more defense minded players could be on their way.

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Today’s game between Arsenal and Bolton was called off at the last moment because of severe weather conditions.

Arsenal‘s tie with Bolton was abandoned at the last minute because of the prevailing bad weather conditions in London and the south-east of England.

But what left me unimpressed was that these so called ‘adverse’ conditions did not really seem as bad in London.

The Met Office forecasts about 15cm of snowfall overnight in North London which in layman’s terms means just over ankle-deep snow.

Now I am no meteorologist but I can safely say from first-hand experience that the conditions did not warrant calling off the match.

The tubes were running only with slight delays and the buses too had only minor holdups. So commuting to the venue was not a problem.

Conditions weren’t particularly bad either as the snowfall stopped at about 1530 local time which was almost over four hours before kick-off (1945).

The Suffering Away Fans

Football365 claims around 300 travelling fans were planning to make the 4 hour journey from Bolton to London to catch tonight’s game.

The cancellation announcement was made only around 1530 which meant that most of the away supporters would have already been on their way to the venue.

Though the club have agreed to refund the supporters, the inconvenience caused by this sudden postponement can in no way be compensated.

There needs to be an arrangement whereby matches should be not be cancelled any later than 6 hours before the kick-off time.

This will ensure that the fans have enough warning to reschedule their travel plans and also are not stuck in the middle like today.

Also in cases like today where it was very much possible for the game to be played they as scheduled they should just get on with the action.

Copyright - V1

Britian – Ill equipped?

This situation begs for the question to be asked whether Britain and in particular London is ill-equipped to tackle the cold conditions.

The cancellations of flights and the subsequent delays is at least understandable because one really can’t have any amount of risk where airplanes are concerned.

But for normal day-to-day activities it seems to be that most Britons play it a bit too safe. Even my university was shut down today because of the so-called adverse weather.

In and around Europe temperatures plummeted in a similar manner but it did not result in life grounding to a halt.

I hail from Mumbai where rains wreak havoc every year but that does not stop the people from carrying about out their businesses normally.

Last year we witnessed London brought to a standstill following an identical snowstorm. It is about time that the government recognizes the need to increase its ‘snow army’.

It is truly surprising to see one of the world’s major cities crippled by only a feet of snow or less.

Do you feel that Britian is ill-equipped to tackle the weather? Leave your comments below.

Club Logo - Property of Arsenal

Why does everyone mercilessly discard Arsenal’s chances for the Premier League crown despite the Gunners being only a point off the pace?

Arsene Wenger’s job at Arsenal must be one of the toughest ones around England. Week in and week out he needs to convince his young stars that they are good enough to win the title despite everyone writing them off.

Just last week Ferguson once again claimed that “he expects a two-horse title-race with Chelsea”.

This despite the fact that Arsenal are only two points behind Sir Alex’s side in the league table and still have a  game in hand.

But probably Wenger will more than likely benefit from the underdog status that his team has acquired. As it helps take the pressure off his team.

Arsene’s prophetic words “Chelsea will drop points” have now seen him being mockingly labelled as a ‘magician‘ by Chelsea coach Ancelotti.

Source : Wikipedia Commons

A Young But Mature Side

Under Wenger Arsenal have become known for their excellent youth policy. But most of the squad have now played for almost two years in the first team and been groomed accordingly.

The Fabregases and the Van Persies are really not that young anymore and the defence, where experience counts the most, is truly matured.

If you look at the stats for the Arsenal first team you will see that there is a decent deal of experience even in those young legs.

• Fabregas – 175 Career Appearances
• Nasri – 159 Career Appearances
• Vermaelen – 126 Career Appearances
• Diaby – 99 Career Appearances
• Denilson – 80 Career Appearances

As one can see that despite the relatively young age of all these players they have spent a lot of time playing professionally.

The fact that their key players viz. Arshavin, van Persie, Clichy are around 25, certainly ensures a bright future for the team.

This year if it was not for Van Persie’s unfortunate injury Wenger would truly have had one of his best squads available at his disposal.

Source : Wikipedia Commons

Testing Times Ahead

The real test for the Gunners will come at the end of this month when they face Villa, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool in successive weeks.

If the Gunners can emerge with 6-8 points from these games they should be quite pleased with themselves.

Since their loss to Chelsea, the team has gone on to win 5 of its next 6 games. In fact if it wasn’t for the draw against Burnley, Wenger’s side would have second.

Arsenal have also had the easiest Champions League draw as they take on Porto while their domestic rivals battle the Milan giants.

January may also be a time when Wenger goes into the transfer market again with a view to find a replacement for Van Persie.

If Bordeaux star Marouane Chamakh joins the team, this Gunners lineup it will be truly fearful.

I am not a betting man but if I was to give you some advice I would say don’t count the North Londoners out just yet. Arsenal have the capacity to spring the biggest surprise of the season.

Source : Wikipedia Commons

After United’s unexpected loss to Leeds in the FA Cup I wonder whether this is the weakest Red Devil side in the past decade.

Normally I would not have allowed myself to make the judgment which I am about to pass shortly.

It is after all highly incorrect to reach a conclusion on the basis of just one game or one month especially for a journalist.

But I am admittedly a United critic. For the past ten years I have been looking incessantly for something to lambast Sir Alex and his men.

However, until now I was struggling to find conclusive evidence to prove my agenda but this year I seem to have got it handed on a platter.

So here we go…

A Weakened Side

When Cristiano Ronaldo left United this summer for a world record sum of £80 million, many believed United would reinvest that cash into a big name signing. But as the days rolled by it became clear that this was one loot that the United directors wanted to bury under a tree.

No one close to Ronaldo’s stature arrived at United  and the signing of Michael Owen was the only reason to cheer for Red Devil fans. In shirt, United had a very dull summer which was extraordinary considering the problems upfront.

Dimitar Berbatov arrived with a splash in 2008 but he has certainly failed to fill the void in the striking department left by Nistelrooy’s departure. It was only Cristiano Ronaldo’s adaptability which allowed Ferguson to tactfully maneuver around that problem.

To add to this problem was the fact that United’s pillars of the last ten years – Neville, Scholes and Giggs were getting old. Ryan Giggs may have won the BBC Personality of the Year this time but he is certainly not the player he once was.

One would also notice that the 2007 signings viz. Anderson and Nani have failed to live up to their billing. All these factors have contributed to making the United midfield and attack lose much of its potency and retnder it highly vulnerable.

Source : Wikipedia Commons

Injuries

Injuries are a part and parcel of the game but when your entire defence is on the treatment table you know that fate has played its cruel hand.

This year Sir Alex has had to really rethink his whole defensive strategy because of the absences in the team.

Rio Ferdinand has been by far the worst affected through his spell on the sidelines as he has witnessed a massive dip in his form.

The right-back position continues to be a doubt with Neville way past his prime and Rafael being injured for a long period.

Owen Hargreaves seems to have fallen in love with the doctors at Old Trafford seeing that he has spent almost a year and a half in treatment. His absence was acutely felt this season when Carrick had to deployed as cover for the defence.

However, it would be folly to blame United’s poor run entirely on injuries as there have not been just defensive problems but difficulties upfront as well.

Wayne Rooney is no target man and his best position is playing as the second striker but he is a lonely child at the front. Neither Berbatov nor Owen have any kind of consistency or conviction in their style of play leaving Fergie with a big headache.

The midfield also struggles terribly with the lack of a clear cut playmaker or winger. The youngsters like Obertan and Gibson need a lot of grooming before being moulded into the first team.

This has resulted in United failing to score on five occasions in the league this season compared to the four during the entirety of the last one. The lack of precision up front was one of the major reasons for today’s defeat to Leeds.

Conclusions

It would only be right to point out that despite all the above mentioned fallbacks United are in second place only two points behind Chelsea.

They are also through to the semis of the Carling Cup where they meet Man City and the last 16 of the Champions League.

I agree that these are no signs of trouble at United and that the Premier League this season is a lot more competitive than previous years. But I am postulating that despite this the United squad is weaker than usual.

Ronaldo was the vein through which blood was being injected into the United team and without him they are struggling to cope up.

As much as Ferguson might denounce signings in January, they might be needed to keep up the Red Devil’s title challenge.

Source - Wikipedia Commons

The Sun ran an exclusive today claiming that Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to join Liverpool in the coming few days. If that is the case the Dutchman will  become the second player this season to commit high treason.

This morning was one of those rare occasions when an exclusive from the Sun failed to elicit a tirade of abuse against the publication from me. The infamous paper claimed boldly that RvN will join the ranks of the Reds next month after being told to leave by Real Madrid.

What would have ideally been cast off as yet another figment of imagination of the Sun’s editors might actually have some credence this time. The ex-Manchester United star has struggled this term to get any sort of playing time in Madrid.

For Los Blancos coach Manuel Pellegrini, Nistelrooy remains a fourth choice striker behind Higuain, Benzema and Raul. This does not fit in with the Dutchman’s plans to return to the national team set-up after having announced his intention to come out of retirement.

Liverpool provides RvN the perfect opportunity to prove his worth once again. The Reds seem to have recovered from their disastrous start to the season and Nistelrooy fits the definition of what they have been missing.

If the transfer is to indeed go through the Kop will deem it as rightful revenge for Owen’s poaching by United in the summer. Owen who made a name for himself at Anfield shocked Liverpool fans when he signed up with United.

So the arrival of the Dutchman who scored 95 times for United and was idolized by one and all there would feel like sweet vengeance. And along side Torres he might just wreak havoc in the Premier League all over again.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy Career Highlights

1998-2001 Scored 62 goals for PSV Eindhoven in just 67 appearances

2001 Completes move to Manchester United for £19 million

2001-2006 Scores 95 goals for United in 150 appearances

2006 Moves to Real Madrid for £24 million

2006-09 Has scored 46 times for Madrid in 68 games

10. Mick McCarthy – Wolverhampton Wolves manager

“I will try and grow some more hair so my forehead doesn’t resemble that of Lord Voldemort.  And I will always field my strongest team when up against top class opposition”

9. Mark Hughes – ex Manchester City manager

“I will never talk about the manner in which Manchester City sacked me again. But do you know that I had absolutely no idea till it happened, in fact I had had a chat with the chairman just a day ago. And he assured me….”

8. Harry Redknapp – Tottenham manager

“I am sure the Pavlyuchenko will do well here. He has not played enough games but give him so more time and he will mature. Hey, Robbie stop pulling Roman’s shorts down man”

7. Martin O’Neill – Aston Villa boss

“I will make sure that Villa finally achieve that top four finish. The boys all believe in themselves and despite the setbacks of the past two weeks, this year we feel we can go all the way.”

6. Roberto Mancini – Current Manchester City boss

“By year end speak I English better. And I want to …. able to arrive top at Premier League? Yes… Primero Campionato. And think I team the… balance…good be.”

5. Rafa Benitez – Liverpool manager

“I will not blame the absence of any players through injury on the team’s poor run of form. I can assure you all that Alberto Aquilani will be the next biggest Italian sensation in England since Rolando Bianchi.”

4. Arsene Wenger – Arsenal boss

“I will stop poaching youngsters from France and the rest of the world and ask them to come to Arsenal. I will also also be more of a gentleman and less of a Frenchman.”

3. Carlo Ancelotti – Chelsea boss

“My club will not buy a single player in the January transfer window. I maintain we have an excellent side which is going through a difficult moment but we will most definitely not buy anyone in Jan”

2. Sir Alex Ferguson – Manchester United boss

“I will be nice to all the referees this year and I will take them all out for dinner once the season is over. As for Alan Wiley I have gifted him with a speed and heart-rate monitor for Christmas”

1. Fabio Capello – England’s Manager

“We will surely try and bring the World Cup home this summer. I have asked my boys to put in a lot of efforts especially in the penalties department and I see good progress being made there.”