I am at my wits end. I surrender, like Napoleons legendary Grognard’s the Old Guard, I am forming the last square as I have met my Waterloo. What the Hell am I talking about, you ask? Well, all I am saying is that I am sick and bloody tired of trying to get it through to a number of members’ minds just what my intentions and feelings are about United’s ownership and their transfer policies. I give up. I am mentally and emotionally exhausted. How can I go on and on and on about the Glazers, the con jobs, the lies, the deceit, when so many of you prefer to bask in your sunny tanning studio of denial and swallow bullshit corporate facts.
I am fed up hearing pro Glazers commentary and pseudo intellectual diarrhoea about how the Glazers run a fine ship and how our team does not need to spend big or that my beliefs about signing blue chip players are delusional dreams from a lunatic and that I should shut up regarding my legitimate theories on player purchasing and of course the schemes and plots contrived by corporate style clubs who love to work in secret and behind closed doors.
First off, I recognize that I am generally infamous on this blog for being thin skinned and temperamental. I acknowledge that and plead guilty, but since my return I have come back a mellower and a less confrontational Grognard than before. Still, it never ceases to amaze me how many insults and names have been directed my way all because of two reasons. The first is my outing of Manchester United and their owners for what I believe they are doing (or should I say not doing) in the summer transfer season and with this club in general. The second is for trying to formulate theories and conclusions for their inactivity in the transfer market that are not necessarily conspiratorial, but perhaps cunning in scheme. Either way I get shot down because some on this site seem to despise free thinking, even if some of that thinking may be coming out of my ass or conspiratorial in nature.
At least I have a thought, I formulate and idea or hypothesis. But if I challenge the status quo or the club in any way I am a blasphemer or a Bayern Munich troll sent here by City fans to create havoc. Well damn it I surrender. The goonish yellow shirt loud minority on this blog are victorious, I won’t fight the status quo any longer.
I give up on any past delusions or theories that United might actually surprise us with a Bale or even better, a Ronaldo swoop. I really believe that at the end of the day, we will be lucky if we can get Marouane Fellaini and that’s it. But now for something completely shocking, I’m OK with that. You see, although I am not one to jump on the bandwagon or get overly enthusiastic about player performance on this Asian tour, I am conceding that we are probably not going to sign anyone of real significance therefore, it is of paramount importance that David Moyes give the kids on this club a chance to shine and a regular chance to start on this club once the season has started.
I think we can all agree on the fact that youngsters like Wilfried Zaha, Adnan Januzaj and Jesse Lingard have excelled and given a good account of themselves on this club and although the games are meaningless and they are against inferior competition, we still have seen enough to grant them a stay with the big club and let them learn by playing a lot of matches this season. What this will mean is that we will forfeit our status as league champions and that we might even fall out of the top four. That the future, it seems, is in the hands of these kids and the sooner they are bloodied and broken in, the faster our ascent back to the top will begin.
Lingard, I have to admit, has been amazing this summer. The goal he scored in the 5-2 win over that Hong Kong juggernaut Kitchee 😉 😉 was nothing short of sublime. That was the finishing skill of a world-class player regardless of the competition. Perhaps, just perhaps, this young lad and his other impressive partners Zaha and Januzaj might actually have something significant to bring to the table. They seem mature for their years and, realistically speaking, they are better than the players who stand in their way. The last thing I want to see is any of them sent out on loan or even worse, sent back down to the reserves to rot for another season. They bring enthusiasm, and an energetic approach and desire to attack that many United stalwarts like Anderson, Valencia, Young and Cleverley seem to lack. I want to see more of these kids even if we go through growing pains and losses accumulate due to their youth and inexperience handling top-notch opposition.
It has been my opinion going on three years now that the end of the Manchester United dynasty was coming to an end. Two significant factors led me to this evaluation. The first was the inevitable retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the second was the continued ownership of the club by the Glazer family. Fergie did his best to slow the rot and his work for this club was nothing short of miraculous, especially over the past few seasons when I feel he had before him the poorest United club talent wise since back when he first took over the club in the late 80’s. I firmly believe that. There are numerous players on this club I wouldn’t accept for free if I were the manager of Notts County or Millwall. Players like the aforementioned Anderson, Pat Evra, Jonny Evans, Anders Lindegaard, Ashley Young and yes, Danny Welbeck. In fairness to Welbeck, he is doing a fine job trying to change my opinion of him while on this Asian tour.
Nevertheless, I have grown sick and tired of seeing these names in our line-up week in and week out for years now. Add to that the declining skills of Valencia, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs, and Wayne Rooney and I personally find it difficult to believe that not only did this club win last season, but they actually won the league. In my humble opinion that does not speak well of the English Premier League when a club so bereft of world-class talent could accomplish so much, even if they bombed in the domestic cup competitions and in Europe.
The only truly untouchable players that I presently see on this club other than those three kids are Robin van Persie, Chicharito, David De Gea, Rafael, Michael Carrick and Phil Jones. That’s not saying much when you compare the clubs’ quality and depth with the best Chelsea, City and Europe have to offer. That is why blooding these youngsters and giving them a chance to become starters and stars is vital. They appear to have the tools to make it big. Now they need the chance to show it without being blocked by mediocrity disguised as experience. Their time is now and David Moyes needs to give them that opportunity unless of course a Ronaldo or Fabregas show up, like that will ever happen.
Yes I surrender, but at least I still care. I cannot beat the Glazers alone and my unrealistic wishes for this club can no longer blind us from the cold hard truth. Instead this club refuses to spend money on high priced talent and instead pursues the unattainable players as a smokescreen to their true intention, which is to go with what we have and to bring up the youngsters and see how far they take us.
Well, I give up. If that’s the way it’s going to be, then make it so. Lets see what Zaha, Januzaj and Lingard can offer, meanwhile the Glazers are slowly making off with the crown jewels from right under the noses of a blind and incredibly naïve portion of supporters who would rather call me everything under the sun rather than see the truth. Why? Like Jack Nicholson once said in the film “A Few Good Men”, because for many of “you can’t handle the truth”.
So the beat goes on and I will fall in line and concur to the all-knowing Zombie elite that follows and supports Team Glazer. Lets just wait until the end of season 2013/14 to see who doesn’t hang his head in shame? In all honesty, I rather doubt it will be me.
