Monday, June 13, 2011

Man Utd’s Future Safe With Sir Alex

Under the circumstances, Sir Alex Ferguson could certainly be forgiven for calling it a day at Old Trafford, picking up his golf clubs and his gardening tools and enjoying a well earned retirement. After 25 years, the United boss has seen and done it all in the game and the retirement of Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, along with the imminent end of Ryan Giggs, marks the end of an era for Sir Alex.

Many critics have claimed the current stars wearing Man Utd shirts are not as good as previous generations and it could certainly be argued that much like over at Stamford Bridge, Ferguson has been trying to squeeze the last few drops of ability and success from his side before a major rebuilding job takes place. Having lost the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in recent years, United have lost much of their flair and starpower that saw them lift the Champions League trophy in 2008.

After seeing his side torn apart by Barcelona at Wembley last month and with major reinforcements needed if they are to retain their grip on the Premiership trophy, nobody would have blamed Sir Alex had he decided the time was right to pass the torch to his successor and give him the task of building the next great United side. However, even at 70, Ferguson has the drive and motivation to begin the rebuilding job to lay the foundations for the next 10 years of Manchester United success.

Following last years shrewd capture of the excellent Chris Smalling, United are close to sealing a deal for his long-term central defensive partner in Phil Jones. It’s a duo which may well be paired together in England football shirts for many years to come and will be a long term replacement for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea – who looked the part in last night’s 1-1 draw with England in the under 21 tournament – is set to come in and at 20 years ago, could be destined to be Old Trafford’s number 1 for many years to come. With Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez both with many, many years ahead of them and other young stars such as the Rafael twins and Danny Welbeck also in the squad, United have more than enough potential to form the basis of their side for many years to come.

Ashley Young is also hotly tipped to join from Aston Villa, not only adding another of England’s hottest young talents to the squad, but also much creativity and flair to the midfield area. While to compete with Barcelona United do undoubtedly require some genuine, proven quality along the lines of Luka Modric or Wesley Sneijder, Ferguson is quite rightly addressing the issue which has led to the recent downfall of Chelsea by building for the future while also putting a winning team on the park.

Written by Eddie Smith, a sports blogger who writes about football shirts.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Sir Alex Ferguson Sets Sights On Another Title

Just over a week since the Champions League final and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is already looking forward to the new season, issuing a chilling warning to his Premier League rivals that the Red Devils are gunning by more titles.

United achieved a record breaking 19 league titles to make them the most successful team in English football history, despite claims that the current squad is a poor reflection of previous generations. While many would dwell on such a remarkable success, Ferguson is already looking ahead to the new campaign as he guns for title number 20.

It’s clear there is a rebuilding job needed at Old Trafford to see of the latest bulk spending from Manchester City and Chelsea. The new Manchester United home shirt was released this week and it is likely a number of new stars will be gracing it for the 2011/12 season.

Ferguson will have to do without two of his most experienced and talented players as both Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes have announced their retirement, with many other stars including Dimitar Berbatov and Darron Gibson tipped to move on, but new faces will arrive.

Spanish keeper David de Gea is widely rumoured to be joining in a £17m deal from Atletico Madrid, while Ashley Young and Luka Modric remain firmly on the United boss radar. It is not yet out of the question that a major star such as Wesley Sneijder will arrive in what would be a significant boost to sales of Manchester United shirts.

The veteran gaffer stated the latest Premier League title was “particularly special” as it took them ahead of Liverpool in the record books but he is not going to rest on his laurels as he wants more trophies next season.

Ferguson said: “Hopefully we’ll be better next season. The only thing you can do at this club is win – that’s all that matters.

“We have to carry on, there’s nothing else you can do. We have a responsibility and expectation to live up to and that carries on next season.”

Written by Eddie Smith, a sports blogger who writes about kids football shirts.