Wayne Rooney On The Move?

There's been quite a lot of talk about Wayne Rooney and what he is going to do with his future lately.  It seems Mr. Rooney is unsettled at Manchester United, which is absurd.  He is one of the most well paid footballers on the planet.  He plays for the most popular team and one of the most successful teams on the entire planet.  Rooney is acting like a petulant child.  If money is what he is after, he will find plenty of it in places like Paris Saint Germain or Monaco, or even Manchester City.  But what Manchester United has in history and accolade, none of those teams will be able to offer him.  And it does not look like Real Madrid or Barcelona will be lining up anytime soon to get him out of Manchester.  Rooney might feel it is time for him to try his hand in a new league, but he should aim for big clubs, like Milan, or Inter, Roma, Madrid, Barcelona.  These new teams have a lot of money, but it should take much more than the promise of millions to draw a big player like Rooney away from Manchester United.

Post Ferguson

I have to admit Arsenal happens to be one of my favorite soccer teams. There are of course several other teams that I like, including Juventus, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But at the end of the day Arsenal is where my heart is. And because of this, I find it disheartening that year after year, the people who run the club are perfectly fine with aiming for fourth place. There is nothing wrong with playing in the Champions League every year, but it is quite apparent that there is a real dearth of ambition at Arsenal.

It is difficult to blame Arsene Wenger for Arsenal's woes, but I would like to blame him for signing players who have zero heart.  When you watch Arsenal play, you often wonder if some of these players even care about the club they're playing for or if they're there just to collect a fat paycheck.

As the summer approaches, it is my hope and the hope of all Arsenal fans everywhere that Arsene is given money to improve the team.  And it is my hope that the oft lauded manager become a bit more ruthless and gut the team, removing all non essential players and removing players who just don't have the heart to play for a team like Arsenal.

In the post Ferguson era, there is a real opportunity for another team to usurp Manchester United, and Arsenal needs to take advantage of that.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Since Sir Alex Ferguson has announced his retirement, there has been no shortage of praise for the Manchester United manager.  But it goes without saying that the United manager does not need all the praise he has been receiving   Alex Ferguson has built an incredible reputation for himself.  It is unbelievably clear that Ferguson is the best manager working right now.  He has been among the best for decades now.  What people have to focus on right now is the man who will replace Fergie. Sterling Silver Soccer Ball Charm (Google Affiliate Ad)

Following in the footsteps of a manager as venerable as Ferguson is not going to be easy at all.  A manager will have to be half crazy to go ahead and claim his desire to replace the lauded manager.  A lot of talk has been bandied about David Moyes replacing Ferguson.  It would not be a terrible appointment to be honest.  Moyes has done a great deal with little money.  It would be great to see what Moyes can do with a team like United.  I for one I'm not too sure Moyes will be able to live up to Fergie's reputation, and with the elder-man still hanging around Old Trafford, it would be difficult for any manager to be a success.  Next season is going to be an interesting one without a doubt.

The Playmakers: Cristiano Ronaldo

To be considered a Manchester United legend you most certainly have got to wear the number 7 shirt. You have to score amazing goals with ease, and you have to have an ego that cannot be easily knocked down. Cristiano Ronaldo meets all of these requirements, but more than that, he has a bag of tricks that can challenge even the world’s most technically gifted players.

Ronaldo is the rare type of player with his eyes solely fixed on the prize. His desire to win and be better than his contemporaries is unmatched in the game and has driven him to success. It has allowed him to be considered as Manchester’s greatest number 7.

Ronaldo started his playing career at CD Nacional, but he would not stay at the small Portuguese club for long. Two years after playing for Nacional, Ronaldo was scooped up by legendary Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, the club that produced Luis Figo. He would go on and play for every single team in the Sporting system in his first year, including the first team. Ronaldo achieved his biggest feat at that time by scoring twice on his debut.

The Madeira born winger had been long scouted by the top clubs in Europe, especially by then Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier, before he got his chance to play against Manchester United in a pre-season game for Sporting Lisbon. The youngster took the chance to impress with aplomb. Such was his performance and ability in the game that Sir Alex Ferguson’s players including the highly regarded Roy Keane advised the manager to sign the untried winger for the storied Old Trafford club.

Ferguson knew other clubs were after the player, including his foe at Arsenal Arsene Wenger. When he signed for Manchester United, Ronaldo was a weak player with a set style of play, but under the tutelage of the master Ferguson, Ronaldo started showing other aspects of his game. The player had asked to keep the number 28 he wore at Sporting, but the Manchester United coach felt he would do better as the next installment in a long impressive line of number 7s in Manchester’s history.

His biggest improvement came in the form of his goal scoring. When the player discovered his scoring touch, he eclipsed the likes of David Beckham and George Best in United folklore. In 2008, the Portuguese wizard achieved the feat of scoring 42 goals in on season. It was the highest amount of goals scored by a winger in the history of the game. Ronaldo went on to collect every player award in the game, including world’s best player.

Though he is loved by the Manchester United fans, Ronaldo has not had an easy relationship with them. When he caused Wayne Rooney to get ejected in World Cup 2006, Ronaldo was jeered by his own fans when he returned to the Theatre of Dreams. He was able to get over that wall, but he made things worse by tempting the greedy fingers at Real Madrid. Fans were sure the player would jump ship, but he stayed and helped them win the Champions League and the Premier League. In the long run some fans may see Ronaldo as an enigma, but most will remember him as Manchester United’s best player ever.

That Boy Is Something Special: Frazier Campbell

Who would have thought a player who shined in the championship would be a hit in the premiership. The English leagues are littered with players who showed promise at one point, only to falter at the moment of truth. Francis Jeffers came on the scene and departed with a snap. Remember Kevin Phillips? When he was knocking in goals for Southampton it was believed that he was going to challenge Michael Owen for a place in the England national team. Both of those players are decent in the Championship, but neither one has cracked the egg in the Premier League.

Frazier Campbell is a special type of player. He, like Villa’s Agbonlahor, is not afraid of blazing past his opponents. In a recent game against Liverpool in the Carling Cup, Tottenham’s new golden boy made the rounds past the aging Pool centre back and centered for his strike partner to score. The Tottenham fans were full of cheer and kind words for the young lad, but deep down it must be said that they know he is not theirs. Campbell belongs to Manchester United. He is one of the very few youngsters that have popped out of the United Academy with a die hard attitude. He’s got talent, pace, and above all, the work ethic that will push him pass the likes of Rooney in the next few years. Just watch that game against Liverpool again to catch a glimpse of this young boy’s ferocity.