Hello my good football people… just gonna kick off with a comment or two about the impending sale of Man Utd.
For the last 20 years or so, the Stretford End have been belting out a favourite song: “Hollow, hollow, hollow, Chelsea's success is f*****g hollow, all that money you took, from that big Russian crook, and you'll never win three in a row”.
And I get it, the Blues haven’t won three in a row and the obscene amounts of money pumped into the Premier League, (Roman Abramovich being a trailblazer) has, in my opinion, taken the soul of out of the game.
But the truth is, there’s real double standard regarding this banter. Why is the success not hollow for United since the Glazers took over in 2005?
I mean, they’ve spent over £2bn on players, it’s hardly an academy driven fairytale. Not only that but are the Glazers not crooks as well? Even worse, leaching money out of the club itself, huge numbers, after buying it on borrowed money? Yeah, exactly “big yanky crooks” and now?
With the likelihood of Qatar, Jim Ratcliff or some other super wealthy consortium taking over, do United fans still really believe they’re still different because of distant history? What’s the difference?
Newcastle, City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and the rest are generally owned by billionaire’s or multi-billion net worth consortiums, well, except for Brentford. When will the “we’re better than you” fantasy die off?
In fact, let’s be real here, the way it’s going, it’s not difficult to imagine an American NFL-style Super League in the next decade, with no relegation or promotion, just a self-contained bunch of 20 super-clubs, all owned and run by various corrupt billionaires or state backed entities.
It’s sh!t as it is, a lottery, you just hope your club gets backing from a group that knows what they’re doing and doesn’t simply drain the asset. Like it or not, football has “evolved” into this and we’re all the same. But of course massive investment into a club doesn’t spell immediate success!
Unbelievably, despite the obvious factors, Chelsea got undone again on Sunday with about half a billion pounds worth of players!
As ya’ll know, I believe Graham Potter should be given time, however he’s making my argument very difficult. After the miserable loss at Spurs he said: “The players were there on the pitch (no sh!t Sherlock).
“They gave it everything (no they f****** didn’t, there was no urgency and little commitment), the goals made it difficult for us (oh my word… yes, Graham if you don’t score any and concede two it’s gonna be f******* difficult). Also taking of Joao Felix (arguably our liveliest player)…
Anyyyywaaaaay.
On to brighter news (for some). I’m probably getting a bit soft in my old age, but this Erik ten frikkin Hag geezer is pretty good!
Ok, the Carabao Cup isn’t anywhere near as shiny as it once was but winning it brings further ratification that the club is getting back towards where it was under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ #CarabaoCup winners: Manchester United 🏆![CDATA[]]>🤩 pic.twitter.com/7EbRHBihqe
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 26, 2023
The game itself was electric, so whatever the status of the silver is, the win will help drive belief. So congrats all you Mancs, it’s been years since you’ve won anything, guess you’re feeling super positive!
Energy. Passion. Commitment.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 27, 2023
Football means *everything* to @Casemiro ⚽️❤️#MUFC || #WorldXI pic.twitter.com/jpsHFU5IE9
Couple of decent games to watch on Wednesday night, Everton go to Arsenal and Liverpool host Wolves before City, Newcastle on Saturday and the big one on Sunday, Liverpool v Man Utd! Chat next week, bye byee.