Snart går vi alla in i bubblan, mumlande vårt mantra ”Destroy Big Sam”.
Men innan dess hinner vi ta en titt på de senaste dagarnas medierapportering som vigts åt världens coolaste och mest skuldsatta fotbollsklubb:
- The Mirror skriver att United vill ha en ny mittback i form av 18-årige Kurt Zouma från St Etienne. Inga konstigheter i att det skrivs om mittbackar, det snackas ju rätt mycket om att United är suget på att förstärka på den fronten. Men ponera att både Rio och Vida försvinner – inte värvar väl Fergie en 18-åring då? Can we win anything med mittbacks-kids?
- I samma artikel påstås att Angelo Henriquez fått en ”disastrous” start på sin United-tid då ”han lämnades på bänken till och med i reservlaget”. Tjolahoppsansa. En 18-åring från Sydamerika som kommer till Mcr utan att fansen har några som helst förväntningar på honom har alltså fått en katastrofal start på sin karriär i England. Lazy journalism.
- Pep Guardiolas måste vara världens mest efterlängtade signatur i fotbollstränarvärlden och det kommer garanterat att fylla många luckor i spalterna ända tills sommaren då han ska ta över ett nytt lag efter sitt sabbatsår. Många hävdar förstås att Manchester City ligger i pole position, andra att Chelsea gör det med tanke på att FSW beskrivs som en interim manager. Men så länge ingen vet när/om Fergie går så kommer det att spekuleras om United också. Det finns ju faktiskt en möjlighet varje sommar att SAF slänger tuggummit i gräset för gott.
* Och så lite Fergie inför West Ham:
Om King Kennys 400-miljonersköp av Andy Carroll: ”He has only played something like a dozen games for Newcastle and then he had to deal with a £35million transfer to a club like Liverpool. That’s quite a big jump. I’d certainly not sign that kind of player for that kind of money.”
”We’ve gambled on young players in the past, maybe a couple of million or whatever, but when you get that level you really have to do a bit more homework and see how he is in his second season maybe. He’s still not had a lot of games but he is a big lad, aggressive and a great header of the ball. He’ll be a handful for our defenders.”
I fejset på Dalglish förstås.
Sen är Fergie av någon outgrundlig anledning dödspolare med Big Sam:
“Big Sam went to Upton Park a year and a bit ago and the cynics said he’s not a West Ham manager as he doesn’t play football. What was his mandate? To get them up into the Premier League as quickly as possible and he got them up within a year. Tell me someone else who could’ve done that?”
“He’s also had to rebuild the team and get two or three players out because of their salaries. He’s very underrated, it’s as simple as that. There’s a sort of impression about him being a certain type of manager. It’s not really fair and I’m pleased he’s back in the Premier League.”
“The Blackburn situation was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen but I think Sam was more disappointed with what happened at Newcastle. He was unlucky that a new owner came in and wanted a certain type of manager. He didn’t get a chance in his first really big job with the expectation and fan base up there – he didn’t get a chance to do the job right.”
Nej, Alexander, det är nog bara Sam Allardyce i hela världen som hade fixat det. Bara.
* Och så har den bäste striker United haft i Premier League-eran – och den bäste jag sett under mitt liv som Unitedfan – hyllat sin holländske efterträdare:
”I think he can become an even better player here at United. His style fits United so well. The way he wants to play, the way he likes to play. He has been a great success and he will continue for a good while. I hope he does score as many or more than me. I had my time. My time has gone, now others have taken over.
“He is fitting in easily. It is amazing really, it is like he has always played for the club. He didn’t need any time to settle in. He was straight on his level, scoring important goals and winning games for the team. I spoke to him and he feels very good at the club.”
“But that is the feeling you get when you come here. You feel part of something. You feel part of the family and of a tradition. You just want to go out and perform. He is doing that. I felt like that. I felt very comfortable. It sounds crazy now you know more about the club. But that is what the manager does. He makes you feel strong and gets the best out of people.”
Ruud van Persie.
Robin van Nistelrooy.
Förstås för tidigt att avgöra, men med tanke på att vi har sett van Persie i Arsenal så länge så kan vi köra veckans fråga: Ruud eller Robin?