Cash Still Rules/Scary Hours (Still Don't Nothing Move But The Money)

The main story today seems to be about the publication of the annual "Rich List" of football clubs, with Man Utd coming second behind Real. I'm not much of an economist but this report in The Guardian seemed about the best analysis of the story on offer and points to the, perhaps surprising, situation that football is well placed to ride out the crisis:

football was now in the unusual position of having more certainty than other businesses with TV revenues guaranteed and season-ticket sales likely to remain stable. He predicted that sponsorship revenues would also hold up with Manchester United's search for a replacement for AIG likely to provide a barometer. Only corporate hospitality revenues are threatened to any large extent. "The debt issue gets quite a lot of coverage but I think that most of the clubs are in a position to cope with it".

On the subject of Real Madrid and money I read with huge interest this story in The Mail (reported elsewhere as well) about how Real are apparently, according to the Spanish media, wanting to sign Ronaldo. That came as quite a shock to me, who'd have thought it... They're going to lend £60 million ... yadda yadda yadda ... [yawns] ... the same story in The Sun claims they'll offer us more than they offered last summer.
This, from The Times says that Park Ji-Sung and Johnny Evans are both set to sign new contracts, which, the report says, means

the United manager, has sought over the past 18 months to ensure that his successor inherits an enviable blend of youth and experience by tying the vast majority of his squad to long and lucrative new contracts.

While The Mirror reports that Ryan Giggs will also sign a new contract:

"I won't be retiring. There's no truth in these stories. I'm enjoying football more than ever. I'm in talks on a new contract and hopefully I will sign it soon. Things couldn't be better. I'm playing with a very talented group of players and the spirit in the dressing-room has never been so good.

"It's my intention to carry on playing for the club beyond this season."

The Times also has an opinion piece by Matthew Syed praising Giggs and comparing him to Sir Alex:

In many ways, Giggs is the mirror image of Sir Alex Ferguson, his manager. ... Even now, as they contemplate an eleventh Premier League crown, hopes still alive of an historic quintuple, they look to the future, never coasting, never ceasing in their pursuit of the next horizon
...
Ferguson and Giggs are not interested in anything as tangible as the next trophy; they are embarked on an odyssey with a destination that always exists just over the horizon. They seek the unattainable and, in the process, achieve the thrillingly improbable.

On a similar theme are quotes from Sir Alex on the priorities for the season, quoted in The Mirror:

Asked if there was one trophy he wanted to win above all others this season, Fergie stated: "The European Cup." He was triumphant in the competition in 1999 and 2008, and explained: "There's an opportunity maybe to draw level with Liverpool's 18 championship wins, but that's not my motivation.

"When you look at our record in Europe, it should have been better. And nobody has defended the Champions League since the new format. So that's a great challenge for us and hopefully we can do it."

The Sun report that we are "battling Jose Mourinho in the race to sign Belgian wonderkid Axel Witsel," and that Sir Alex "is lining up an £8million summer bid for the 20-year-old." Here's a Youtube video of him in action -

And one final story, from The Daily Star, Robbie Savage tells us that "when Sir Alex let me leave United he said that he feared one day I would come back to haunt him.” This, for The Daily Star, could prove the existence of the paranormal - they suggest that a Derby win would "send a spooky ring echoing around the corridors at Old Trafford. " Quite...