15M £
It would only have been a 15 Million £ loss if we'd have gone to win the cl - that's a fact. still anyone thinking we could play on the same level as european top teams atm has 300% united glasses... (an Inform Barca, Juve etc... IMO just to good for ManUtd atm)
Poor European Form
United has been very very poor in European games since a while.
After those Clashes with Madrid I remember only 1 very good game and that was the Rooney Debut. Ruud scored the 4 in another match but not against a big gun. (I've had to see it go downhill against milan @ old trafford last year)
Generally United looked poor - why is difficult to say but probably because a combination what still is going on at the club already started a while ago
tactics, players etc
Utd is capable of matching a big gun for 1 game but not the long run, simply because they lack DESIRE (exluded Heinze, Neville, Rooney and Smith) the rest more or less doesn't care. Some are more talented some less but
the once feared Utd-spirit is lost IMO
Not everything is Doom and Gloom IMO, yes we are out of Europe so what – we didn’t deserve to advance playing so poorly.
On a side note they will have no far away travels, just the League, FA and Carling Cup to play for – which is fantastic – since usually since 1999 Fergie was so obsessed with the ugly big eared European trophy. It will give the players some rest (for the World Cup) aswell as less a chance to get injuried.
Ferguson and his style & ability
Ferguson seems to have lost it more and more with every year that passes - it would do the club good to have a new manager, move on.
The Players have a new face to see in training, to impress him in order to get games, have a new someone who challes you, a new face to see. Aswell for the Staff and Media (which at the moment is unbelievable). You don’t have to be a Jose to make them eat of your hands all the time, but a little less stubbornness would do good.
from the transfer policy there's a mixed feeling
Van Der Sar and Park (which at the beginning I thought of a asian-market shirt seller who proved me wrong big time) were QUALITY Transfers for little money. Sadly it wasn't tried to get Van Der Sar earlier (after Juve sold him off)
Otherwise and bare with me for saying these things since 1999
Top Buys: Nistelrooy, Rooney, Heinze, Van Der Sar, Ferdinand (till last season)
Mixed: Ronaldo, Park, Smith
Poor Buys: Where to start…Veron, Blanc, Bellion, Djemba, Kleberson, Saha, the 500 goalies, Forlan and plenty of others
The
“Stubborness”Sales of Stam and Becks
From the Current Squad and I don’t include promising youngsters like Rossi, Pique
IMO the following are good enough to play on
Good Players
Van Der Sar
Neville
Ferdinand (if he descovers his form)
Heinze
Park
Ronaldo (if he puts the team 1st)
Smith (if he can improve his form, not his commitment)
Rooney
Rossi
Icons
Solskjaer – as much as I like him – he won’t be the old Ole we all know and love.
Scholes – if he gets on his annually 5 games good run and scoring goals and the goes for the missing for the rest of the season, same can be said as for Giggs
Giggs – 1 good game 10 bad ones – his star faded
Nistelrooy – scored some goals to put gloss on the cracks, credit for that, still since the Becks delivery is gone he’s fading too.
Average and poor players
Silly Silvestre
Brown
O’Shea
Fletcher
Saha
Richardson
some players I’d like to see at United which are realistic:
Van Buyten (Hamburg)
De Jong (Ajax)
Jones (on loan to Preston)
Pedersen (Blackburn)
+ a class DM/CM which is NOT Ballack
Ferguson is ironicly like wine (of which he likes to share a glass of with most managers) usually the older they get the better, but once they reach a certain limit and then turn sour
On a Site Note - GARY NEVILLE IS MANUTD CAPTAIN