Smoking

Today there appears to be absolutely no speculation about Ronaldo in the papers! I only glanced through quickly so possible I missed something but hooray! anyway.

The story today is this:

Pictures of the England player having a crafty pool-side wheeze on a cigarette are bound to dismay Ferguson.

Rooney is literally smoking.

Used to be a sweet boy

There's an article today, in The Telegraph, about Ronaldo which, shockingly, contains nothing but facts! Unbelievable. But here it is. To be fair it is a statistical look at his seasons with us, and as generally happens when statistics are looked at, proves that the media are biased against us. Takes this:

The breakdown of his 66 Premier League goals, from 163 appearances, banishes the "flat-track bully" allegation occasionally levelled at United's No7. Of his four visits to Arsenal (Highbury and Emirates), he struck three times against a good defence.

So there.

A good point to finish on:

... it needs stressing that Ronaldo is a developing talent, only 23 years old, with another seven or eight years to shred completely the record books. The escalating rate of his Premier League goalscoring reflects that. From 2003-04 to 07-08, his tallies rose as: 4, 5, 9, 17 and 31. Ronaldo could argue that he was maturing as a player, which is undeniably true, but that process was undoubtedly accelerated by Ferguson's shrewd and caring management.

Let's get it on

I haven't posted in a while because of the tiresome saga of Ronaldo. It seemed a little pointless to continually quote contradictory reports day after day, preferring to wait until something actually happens. Today there is at least some news onRonaldo that is solid:

Fifa issued a statement saying it had asked the Spanish football federation to "remind" Madrid to act within the rules, but would itself not take the matter further because "from the documentation received, no breach of contract appears to have occurred yet". Sir Alex Ferguson had hoped that Fifa would issue Madrid an official warning but the verdict will be seen as a minor victory at Real.

A Fifa statement read: "The Spanish football federation has been informed of the complaint lodged by the English club and asked to remind Madrid about the potential legal consequences of a breach of contract and of a possible inducement to such a breach of contract."

The other story today is the unveiling of the Premier League fixtures for the new season: full list of them here. A couple of articles look at our tough start. This one from The Times:

United’s home match against Fulham, scheduled for August 30, will be postponed because they face Zenit St Petersburg in the Super Cup the night before. If the game cannot be rearranged in the first two months of the season, four of the champions’ first six assignments will be away to sides who have caused them huge problems in recent years.

Any of Ferguson’s players still partying after last season’s heroics will have sobered up quickly yesterday when the fixtures were released. While home matches against Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers should not prove too tricky, United must travel to face Portsmouth (one win in past five visits), Chelsea (no victories in seven trips), Blackburn Rovers (two wins in ten at Ewood Park) and Liverpool (outplayed on past two visits despite winning both games). Add the possibility of being a match behind their rivals and Chelsea and Co could be over the horizon.

Andy Hunter in The Guardian adds in Champions League commitments to the mix:

If, as the United manager often states, fixtures between the "Big Four" and post-European exertions decide the destination of the title then Ferguson must have viewed the 2008-09 schedule with conspiratorial eyes. Luiz Felipe Scolari has cause to follow suit once his attention shifts from plotting to win the European Championship for Portugal to delivering the Champions League to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea.

United are involved in the first two meetings between the usual title contenders next season, away at Liverpool on September 13 and at Chelsea the following weekend, with the opening group game in their defence of the Champions League sandwiched in between. The trip to Stamford Bridge on September 20 sets the tone for a series of difficult assignments following Champions League group games for United, with Blackburn, Everton, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all in wait following midweek European games. All six matches are away from Old Trafford.

The champions' season is also complicated by their commitments in the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship, forcing games against Fulham on August 30 and Wigan on December 20 to be rearranged, although United do face Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all at home in the second half of the campaign.

I get money

Ronaldo again dominates the news today.

His performance against Turkey, in a great team performance, is widely praised, this from The Observer:

Luiz Felipe Scolari sent his team out to attack, Cristiano Ronaldo threatened from every position in it, and a Real Madrid centre back scored the glorious opener to which his wannabe club-mate inevitably contributed. At the death, Ronaldo created one more thing of beauty and there might have been many more. This latest Seleccao created chance upon chance and struck every timber of the Turks' goal.
Ronaldo grew into his game. Possibly pressured by the furore over his stated desire to leave Manchester United, even Scolari admitted the winger had started slowly. Yet Ronaldo finished in style. "I'm pleased," he said. "I did not score, but I think I played well. Turkey played very defensively. They were closed - even when they were a goal down. It was a hard game and it was very important to start with a win. Everyone knew that."

The Times praises Pepe, but also has warm words for Ronaldo:

There was no goal for Cristiano Ronaldo in his first match at Euro 2008 but the Manchester United star delivered a performance of the highest standard

Perhaps the prospect of him joining Real has meant that journalists now feel freer to praise...

Having said that there is still a trend in the media to suggest that Ronaldo is somehow "greedy" for wanting a move. This article, from The Sunday Herald, sums that up nicely:

At 23, the Portuguese stands ready for the second act in his professional career. Soon he will cease to be the golden boy. Given what he has already achieved, and given the usual career paths followed by his sport's elite, he would be forgiven for declaring that what he needs most is a fresh challenge.

Whether he will be forgiven as easily for stating, baldly, that what he actually needs is yet more money might be a different matter. Even if he remains with Manchester United - unlikely, but possible - there will be no halo left to burnish. Just when you thought players had touched the limits of greed, along comes "Ron".

It would be his "dream" to play for Real Madrid, he declares. Then he adds, for the benefit of a Brazilian website and the world, "but only if it is true they are eager to pay me and Manchester United what they have been saying they will".

Note the order of priorities. Note, too, that Real are expected to be eager to pay Ronaldo £12 million a year and silence United with a bid to dwarf the £45.6 million paid by the Spanish club for Zidane, and most likely double the £37 million paid for Figo in the dim and distant days of 2000.

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What sounds to me like a very decent stance - he wants to move if Real are willing to Man Utd a good price - is turned into a desire for money. Now, I'm not denying that Ronaldo wants more money for himself - is that so wrong, he knows his worth and wants it recognised in his pocket - but, to me, the important fact is that, despite the fact that he seems to want to move on, he is not wanting to move at any cost. He still has loyalty to his club.

Tim Lewis in The Observer has a better take on it:

Yet it may be a mistake to portray Ronaldo as a slick-haired mercenary. He is certainly aware of his value to United and after 42 goals in 48 appearances last season, he may feel his £100,000-a-week salary (lower than team-mate Ferdinand's and half-a-dozen Chelsea players) does not reflect his contribution. But money is far from his only motivation. No one who watched his near-tearful dismay as he picked up third place in the 2007 Fifa World Player of the Year, behind Milan's Kaka and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, would be in any doubt of what matters most to Ronaldo. He is desperate to be nothing less than the most exceptional footballer on the planet.

He is still guilty of quite breathtaking narcissism, notably as he eschewed the team celebration to conduct a one-man ritual of self-aggrandisement immediately after United's Champions League victory last month (hang on, didn't he miss a penalty?), but he has achieved something truly remarkable: he has shown that sublime trickery can be allied to devastating power. He is proof that you can have beauty, strength, speed and combativeness in one fancy package.

The Sunday Times has a good piece on the motivations of Real:

They spent £70m in 2007 on new players, none of them remotely household names. It worked, in a distinctly unglamor-ous sort of way, in that a workmanlike team won the Spanish championship for the second year running, but they were easily beaten in the Champions League by Roma (who were even more easily beaten by Man-chester United) and, save for a couple of mightily celebrated victories against a deadbeat Barce-lona, the team failed to stir the blood of the Bernabeu fans. As for the Chinese, Thais, Japanese and Singaporeans, they were mad about Real when Beckham, Zidane and company were there, but have no interest whatsoever in Gago, Pepe and Higuain.

The News of The World follows on from the stupid stories about Sir Alex not being allowed to see Ronaldo with one on him not being able to reach Ronaldo by phone, too stupid to quote.

For once The Mail actually talks sensible:

Sir Alex Ferguson, away at his usual retreat in the south of France, has no plans to interrupt his holiday to make personal contact with Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal's Swiss training camp during Euro 2008.

Sources close to the United manager have ridiculed reports that he has been barred from a private meeting with Ronaldo at the Portuguese base in Neuchâtel, insisting that Ferguson never had plans to break his family holiday.

Although Ferguson and Ronaldo are unlikely to meet face to face during Euro 2008, it is inconceivable there would be no telephone contact between the manager or his Portuguese assistant, Carlos Queiroz, and the player if it were thought to be necessary.

Two articles in The Observer follow Rio Ferdinand to Nigeria. This one has the details of his trip and a few quotes:

...as Ferdinand made a courtesy tour of the Virgin Airline building after arriving, his expression increasingly became one of benevolent bemusement as photographers, journalists, staff with camera-phones, security officers, bodyguards, policemen, Ferdinand's agent, the hangers-on of Ferdinand's agent, and an ever increasing entourage fought for some quality Rio time.

"What's happening?" was his response to it all as he headed for his blacked-out jeep on route to the orphanage. To his first query regarding Uganda, I offered the opinion that his visit there last summer had been far more intense. Then, Ferdinand spent the 50km from Entebbe Airport to Uganda's capital, Kampala, standing up out of his vehicle's skylight grinning at the thousands who'd risen early to greet him.

Here in Nigeria there has been definite interest. The non-appearance of Mandela might have dampened proceedings but Ferdinand, who has met him before, did not let it show. He was led on a tour of the orphanage but, with the hangers-on multiplying and beginning to become annoying, Ferdinand asked to see the children again, this time alone.

And this one concentrates on his footballing thoughts:

So who comes up with the ideas at United's Carrington training ground - Ferguson or his assistant Carlos Queiroz? 'Ultimately it's the manager, but Carlos Queiroz has been a massive success, and has brought new ideas to the table,' Ferdinand says of the Portuguese coach who is thought to have persuaded Ferguson of the need for 4-3-3 in Europe.

Yet Ferdinand is also keen to dispel the idea of too much forward thinking. 'We didn't really work on 4-3-3 in pre-season, because the boss knows he's got the players who can adapt. Cristiano Ronaldo can play anywhere up top and so can Wayne. Ryan Giggs can play in midfield or up front, Paul Scholes off the front or in midfield, and Hargreaves can play full-back, central or right midfield.

'So I don't think the manager's really bothered about formations. He just puts it out there and knows the players can deal with it.'

It's Ronaldo again. There's this bizarre story in The Times:

Cristiano Ronaldo’s faltering relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to deteriorate further yesterday when the Portugal winger effectively banned the Manchester United manager from visiting his country’s European Championship training camp.

In an embarrassing snub, Ronaldo has told team-mates that Ferguson is not welcome in Switzerland, bringing a premature end to proposals for peace talks that surfaced in the light of his continued flirtation with Real Madrid.

Now, I read a lot of Man Utd stories, as you might imagine, but nowhere have I seen these imagined peace talks mentioned. The last I heard was that Sir Alex was on holiday in France and leaving David Gill to sort out this type of thing. I'm sure I quoted the story at the time, and if I wasn't in a hurry this morning I'd find the reference.

A good article in The Guardian on the cost of any deal, which, if Ronaldo must go, is what's important. The article, by Sid Lowe, urges caution:

Ultimately, Ronaldo's public desire to depart is likely to be the deciding factor but Ferguson is not the wounded prey Madrid would like. Nor is he the willing seller they could count upon in the past. Ferguson claimed last week that United sold Ruud van Nistelrooy and Beckham to Madrid "because they wanted to" and there was an element of truth in that. This time he has no intention of selling. Unless the price is colossal.

Madrid's position is not so strong as on previous occasions under the former president Florentino Pérez. Madrid allowed Juventus, Internazionale and United to believe that they could walk away from deals if needs be. Now, unlike before, it is United who apparently stand to gain from a collapsed deal. Ferguson has already answered the threat of being lumbered with an unhappy player by insisting he will leave Ronaldo in the stands if necessary.

There have been suggestions of a fee as high as €98m or an offer involving players as significant as Sergio Ramos and Robinho and a salary almost twice that earned at Old Trafford. The figures may only be rumours but by insisting that he would go "if" his suitors matched the kind of figures being thrown about "for me and United", Ronaldo last night effectively forced them to do exactly that.

United will surely do likewise. Madrid may get their man, but it could be a Portuguese and a Scot who are laughing all the way to the bank.

The important thing could well be that while Ronaldo has said he would like to play for Real he has still said, "if the price is right", for both him and us, so we are still, hopefully, in a position of strength.

Only one story today, which I post without comment:

Cristiano Ronaldo would like to play for Real Madrid if the Spanish club is indeed willing to open up its bank account.

"Yes, I would like to play for Real Madrid," Ronaldo told Brazil's Terra Web site today. "But only if it is true that they are willing to spend with me and with Manchester United the amount they are saying they are. But it's not up to me."

I Saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus

The word from the portugal camp is slightly worrying today, this story from The Guardian puts the most worrying aspect in this paragraph:

The double footballer of the year had stated on Saturday night that he would announce his decision "in two or three days" but journalists arriving at Portugal's Euro 2008 training base yesterday were informed that he would not speak to the media until Friday at the earliest. Instead, one of his associates briefed the Portuguese journalists that Ronaldo, as suspected, was hoping United would relent on their refusal to entertain the idea of negotiating a world-record transfer.

Not just equivocal words from Ronaldo but someone saying he wants to go. The Telegraph story holds out slightly more hope. In it the words of the "associate" are not so cast iron:

It is understood that one of his associates has told Portuguese journalists that he as made up his mind to leave United and that he hopes the club will back down on the previously hardline approach that they have adopted to his world-record transfer to the Spanish champions. [italics mine]

No direct knowledge of the words betrayed. The Mail offers us one more season:

Ronaldo knows that there are serious obstacles to overcome if he is to move this summer and that United will do everything they can to keep hold of him at least for another season.

He has also accepted that he may have to wait at least another year for his move to La Liga.

But - whether he leaves this summer or not - the fact is that the 23-year-old now has his heart set firmly on a move to Real.

It remains highly unlikely that Ronaldo will try to force a switch by officially asking for a transfer but United must now decide whether to hold their most saleable asset to his current £120,000-a-week contract or give in to Real's relentless pursuit of the player.

Last night, indications were that United's position had not changed, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson leaving for his annual break in France on the understanding that the Old Trafford board would not even consider selling the player.

Last week United threatened to report Real to UEFA for making illegal approaches to Ronaldo and chief executive David Gill has subsequently written to the Spanish club demanding that they drop their interest.

Nevertheless, United are becoming increasingly aware that Ronaldo's head has been turned and they now must face up to the grim fact that the Portugal forward wants to further his career in Spain.

Ronaldo's team of advisers have been hoping that United may bend to their demands for a new contract, something that the club has shown absolutely no intention of doing.

But even that would not persuade the player to remain at Old Trafford in the long term. The Madeira-born star feels that two league titles, an FA Cup and a Champions League title represent an adequate set of achievements in England and that he must eventually test himself in another league and in another environment.

Things are looking grim...

(Billy) Childish

Main focus is the interview with Sir Alex to be shown on Sky tonight. The Independent and The Telegraph have the most in depth set of quotes. From The Independent:

Asked what he looks for in a player, Ferguson says: "His ability, obviously – and his enthusiasm. I remember someone said to me [that Sir] Bobby Robson's greatest asset was his enthusiasm. People like Bobby Robson are treasures – wanting to keep on working until their 70s and with the same enthusiasm, so I make the point to players. It's not easy to keep that enthusiasm and work-rate and hunger up all your life."

At this point Frost, who is still working in his 80th year, says: "Absolutely – you're going to keep that enthusiasm up long past 70?"

Ferguson laughs, and says: "I'll keep the enthusiasm up – whether I'll still be doing the football, I'm not so sure about that. No, I don't think I'll be... I think no more than three years – two, maybe two, more like that."

"Two more?" asks Frost.

"Yes, I think so. I have also got to respect my wife, because she's suffering. She did suffer because she doesn't go to the games. She's not a football fan you know – she's an Alex Ferguson fan. She's a mother to all these three boys and a grandmother – that's her life. She watches the games on Teletext."

The Telegraph has quotes relating to Sir Alex's dispute with the BBC:

Sir David Frost, Question: You still firmly don't do anything for the BBC?

Sir Alex Ferguson, Answer: Absolutely -because you know I think the problem with the BBC is they never say they're sorry. They never admit their guilt. They never admit they're wrong. And I think - it's 2008, crikey me - that sometimes even the BBC has to be big, and I don't think they're big enough to do that.

Q: What would they have to do to make peace with you?

A: Just say sorry they were wrong. That's all they need to do and I told them that. They will not do that - they will not do that. So I think, yeah, it's maybe. I remember Gary Lineker... a bright boy from the BBC... says I'm childish.

Well, he should know about that himself - he's been subjected to a lot of stuff in the media himself. And I know he tried to - I know he's had stuff stopped from getting in newspapers from time to time, so he'll understand what childishness means, because he is childish. I don't think I'm childish at all. I think it's a stance. Quite rightly they're wrong. What they did was wrong.

There are also conflicting reports as to whether we've signed Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff, with The Guardian reporting that we've signed him, mediacal permitting:

"Manchester United is delighted to announce it has agreed terms with Cardiff City for the transfer of Aaron Ramsey subject to terms being agreed and the player passing a medical," read a United statement. Arsenal and Liverpool were also interested in signing the player who may be loaned back to Cardiff to gain more first-team experience.

While the BBC suggest that everything is not so final:

Manchester United are one of two top Premier League clubs to have had offers accepted by Cardiff City for Welsh teenage sensation Aaron Ramsey.

The Champions League winners have already announced an offer has been accepted, believed to be in the £5m to £6m region.

But another top club has joined the bidding battle and the BBC understands Arsenal have had an offer accepted.

Time will tell no doubt.

(From the department of obvious titles) Should he stay or should he go?

All about Ronaldo today. All these constant stories are getting a bit tiresome and it will be something of a relief when he just says he is staying, which I have absolutely no doubt that he will.

That announcement shouldn't be long in coming according to the papers (quoting Ronaldo), from The Guardian:

Speaking to Portuguese journalists, Ronaldo, who has encouraged speculation on his future by giving conflicting messages to the English and Spanish media, said: "Let's see, I hope there will be news soon. In two to three days I will announce my decision."

The Independent has a quote from Scolari advising Ronaldo to move:

"I have told him that in football you cannot live on memories," he said. "You have to take the opportunities when they come along because perhaps they will not come again in your lifetime." Scolari also said the speculation about his future had not affected Ronaldo's preparations for Euro 2008. He added: "He is quite calm about his future. He is working very hard like just another member of the squad."

The Times have a rather pessimistic view of the whole thing (from a Man Utd perspective anyway):

Speaking after Portugal’s 2-0 win over Georgia in a friendly match on Saturday, Ronaldo was asked whether he would soon be in a position to clarify his future. He said: “I hope so, yes.” When he was asked when that might be, he replied: “Shortly, in the next two or three days, I hope.” The answers look innocuous, but they are in keeping with a mysterious time-table to which Ronaldo alluded after United’s Champions League triumph in Moscow on May 21, saying that he would make an announcement on his future in two weeks. This would be encouraging if Ronaldo was in discussions over a new contract, but no such negotiations are planned, given that he signed a new five-year, £120,000-a-week deal in April 2007. United hope that he will announce he is staying at Old Trafford, but they have had no such assurances, even though Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz, his assistant, have tried to warn him of the perils of moving to Spain.

The Mail goes for the populist approach by quoting David Beckham's view on the subject:

The England captain said: “Real are one of the great clubs but he’s at the right club at the moment and should stay there. People there will protect him and as a United fan I hope he stays.”

I prefer to remember Ronaldo's words on the pitch straight after the Champions League final to the effect that he was definitely staying. End of story. Hopefully.

Sir Alex's comments on the Glazers and Ronaldo form the news today, this story from The Independent concentrates on the former:

Ferguson says: "They've been good to this club, believe me. They have been brilliant owners. All the nonsense about them taking the club over and putting it in debt; every takeover in the world is done by debt. If I wanted to buy Marks and Spencer do you think I could just go under the floorboards and pull out £3bn? No, I'd go to the Bank of Scotland. Even in this recession they'd get £1.3bn for United now."

And this from The Times looks at the latter:

For United’s American owners, standing up to Real has become a point of principle and they are understood to have echoed in private the vow that Ferguson has made publicly - not to allow the Spanish giants to “ride roughshod” over their club.

“The thing people miss the point about is that I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers,” said Ferguson. “Their attitude is ‘to hell with them’ (Real). They would sit a player in the stand. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. They’d do it just to prove a point and not to give in to these people. They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.”