So Wayne wants to leave his world and move on? Or is this just every Man U hater's dream? Let's try and look at this objectively.
Sir Alex, for all the great things he has done, seems spent. Far from being the Father Figure to Wayne as he was with Becks, Giggs, Scholes and gang, he now seems as a Grandfather figure to Wayne. And I don't think Wayne listens to his grandad.
No matter what any Man U fan would say, the 80 millions pounds they got for Ronaldo went towards servicing loans and this does not bode well for the club. Eventually, the credit crunch in the US is going to cause problems for United. Their revenue from non football areas is probably the highest of any top clubs, but the debt is still there and needs to be serviced.
Add that to the fact that Owen Hargreaves (possibly their most influential player) still hasn't played a part for the team in 2 years and Rooney's off field problems causing an on the field loss of form, there is a lack of leaders on field for United.
Giggs, Scholes and Ferdinand just don't seem to have the necessary tools to make this happen and too many times already this season, they have let leads slip. This never happened with the United's of old, and the opponents seems to have their number.
So now that Wayne's wants out and Sir Alex is at a loss for words, what will the next few months reveal.
Somehow or another, it's all about the money. it's NOT the money Rooney wants, but the money that's available to buy new players to make Man U competitive. Sir Alex has been supportive of the owners, some say TOO supportive at times. The fans, the pundits and even the players know they need more players and better ones at that to compete now.
Look at Chelsea and Man City. Even with their injury list, they have cover for all positions. Even Spurs are looking stronger, squad wise. A couple of injuries, and the wheels will fall off the United bus.
Make no bones about it, Rooney has every right to question United on their ambitions. We've known him as a fiery competitor willing to give it all on the field. And he does this to win. So he needs to know if his efforts are being wasted because he knows that football is a team game.
Just look at Barca, even with Messi, the World Player of the Year there, it's Xavi and Iniesta that make the team tick. It's not a 1 man show and in todays' football, you need squad depth with over 50 games a season with international commitments thrown in.
Ultimately no man is above the club, and if the club is saddled with debt and can't buy players to ensure a winning mentality is continued, then it's top players have a right to move on and win trophies elsewhere.
For me, the writing was on the wall when Ronaldo left and there were no replacements. United and Sir Alex need to jump into the market big time to ensure that Man U remain on track, as their competitors are closing fast.
Even Spurs had ole Harry remarking that they are 2 signings away from winning the league. Well, United are one losing one player that make Spurs suddenly favourites for 2nd spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment