Little House Of Savages

Another friendly for the papers to report brings some slightly more "interesting" articles. In The Times Oliver Kay says, "It is unwise to try to deduce much of anything meaningful from pre-season matches," and then goes onto to try and deduce precisely that:

to judge from his reluctance to play Rooney and Owen together, with the pair taking turns to operate alongside or behind Dimitar Berbatov, Ferguson’s confidence in an all-English strike partnership must either be minimal or so great that he feels they have no need to work on it.

Berbatov, notable for his poise rather than his power ... it seems increasingly that he will be the fixed point in the United forward line in the coming season, with Rooney his most likely partner.

Ferguson has admitted that Berbatov had a “strange” first season at Old Trafford, but the Bulgaria forward was United’s most impressive performer last night, hitting the post with a spectacular overhead kick in the first half and no doubt strengthening the manager’s conviction that he will have a “fantastic season” this time.

Mark Ogden, in The Telegraph, has an explanation for why Rooney and Owen haven't played together:

Ferguson, who is keen for Owen to forge a partnership with fellow striker Dimitar Berbatov, is understood to believe that Rooney and Owen's experience of playing together for England ensures that the pair do not need to spend time renewing their double act during United's pre-season campaign.

On The Guardian Blog, Tim Rich looks at replacing the goals of Ronaldo:

Replacing the boy from Madeira is altogether more problematic and is something Ferguson has not attempted – he and Antonio Valencia have been at pains to point out that he is no new Ronaldo. If you want to judge the hole torn from Manchester United by his departure, consider what might be Ferguson's midfield when their Premier League campaign opens on 16 August against Birmingham.

Valencia and Nani patrol the flanks while Anderson and Michael Carrick anchor the midfield with the former driving forward to support Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney – whom Ferguson has insisted throughout United's pre-season will be used more centrally. Each of these four midfielders cost around £16-17m and the oldest, Carrick, has just turned 28. It is a young, talented and versatile combination and, if they repeat their statistics from last season, they will score eight goals between them. The most prolific was Carrick with four and he is the most defensively minded of the quartet.

Following on the missing Ronaldo theme, The Manchester Evening News report seems a little pessimistic:

it is against the likes of Bayern that you-know-who will be most missed.

United have shown repeatedly that they can bully the majority of the Premier League. But it is against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and possibly City that something extra is needed.

That inspiration that only the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo can bring.

It was the Portuguese winger’s brilliance that fired United to back-to-back Champions League finals – and it is that spark of genius that Ferguson will be looking for elsewhere in his squad.

The other day I suggested that every time Owen went over there'd be people expecting him to be injured. The Daily Star take this to ridiculous lengths:

MICHAEL OWEN suffered an injury scare in Munich last night as Manchester United were beaten by Bayern in the final of the Audi Cup. The United striker was left flattened after a challenge with Bayern defender Breno before Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lost 7-6 in a penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw at 90 minutes. Owen carried on...

And that really is the entire story. The Sun goes for the exaggeration by calling the tackle "savage," bad probably would have sufficed...
Sir Alex's comments on the game:

'It was a competitive game, which is the kind of game we needed.

'In the first half they were the better team and I don't think we were competitive enough.

'When we started being more aggressive going forward we made some good chances and should have won the game.

'The game will bring us on. We will give the players a few days off. It has been a long haul and it is always tiring going to the Far East.'

Rio Ferdinand comments:

"I think we showed glimpses of improvement," he said.

"I think the Asia tour has been a very good workout for us physically and today and yesterday were a step up in class in opposition.

"Physically, we are on the road to getting where we want to be for the beginning of the season.

"I think Asia was a long tour for us physically," he said. "We were very tired after that.

"We now get a couple of days off and then we get back to training and working hard, but we are on the right road."

Not quite sure what to make of this report - rumour of us going in for Ribery resurface:

MANCHESTER UNITED are set to launch a £35million bid for Franck Ribery.

But the Premier League champions will wait two weeks before weighing in so that a clause in Ribery's Bayern Munich contract is active.

The French winger is due a loyalty bonus on August 14, after which he is expected to request a transfer.

Bayern have fended off interest from Real Madrid whose arrogance and lack of respect infuriated the German giants.

But Ribery has indicated he would be willing to move to Old Trafford and wants to quit Germany.

United believe Ribery, 26, is prepared to force the issue but would not do so until any financial issues have been sorted.

Hmmm...

Pretty Little Lightning Paw

The game against Boca Juniors is the main thing in the papers this morning:
This line from The Times summing things up fairly well:

Ferguson admitted that his team “didn’t play particularly well” against Boca, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.

We did seem to tire and allow Boca to run the show for much of the second half, but first half, and the last 20 minutes or so of the second half, when fresh legs came on, we didn't look in too much trouble. It certainly wasn't a great performance from the team, but individually, Valencia had a great debut, not only his goal, which might have been a goalkeeping error but the scoring opportunity was created well, but also his overall performance; Cathcart had a good introduction to the big stage as well, excepting his almost own goal. And let's not forget Anderson scoring a cracking first goal (both our goals can be seen here). The only negative was seeing Wes Brown going off injured, but it sounds more precautionary than anything:

Ferguson said: “Wes had a little pull on his thigh and it was wise just to take him off.

Sir Alex's view of Valencia:

"We're very satisfied with him," said Fergie. "He's a good athlete who has great power and running ability.

"His record at Wigan was not good in terms of goals, so we have to think why he's not scored more. Maybe the way we play will give him more opportunities and he will get more goals.

"He did well to open up the space up for himself for his goal and I'm sure he will play a lot of games this season."

And he hopes that Anderson's goal will lead to more:

"I hope this sparks Anderson off and gives him the incentive to be more positive," said Fergie.

"Over the two years he's been with us he's had many opportunities, hit the post and had shots saved. Hopefully his luck will change and he will score more for us."

And that's about it - match reports of pre-season friendlies are not exactly filled with prose worth quoting - the only other thing is more papers picking up the comments by Sir Alex on Berbatov I mentioned yesterday, for those who missed them, I'll recycle them here, to fill a bit more space, from The Daily Star:

“I expected the form we’ve seen from Berbatov in pre-season so far. Last season was a strange one for him and maybe we didn’t use him in the right way.

“We know exactly how to use him now – further up the pitch playing as a centre-forward. He will improve. I think he will have a terrific season.”

Minutes Of Fame

Our latest round of pre-season games kicks off today so obviously the attention is firmly on ... Real Madrid...
At the press conference before the game, Sir Alex had a few things to say:

Ferguson cited the fall of Sunderland in 1958 as an example of where money can take you in football. "Sunderland spent so much money that they became known as 'The Bank of England club'," he said. "They didn't win anything and in the end they got themselves relegated.

"I am not saying that Real Madrid will get relegated but they will still have plenty of problems with balance. I do not know how [Madrid coach] Manuel Pellegrini plans to pick his side because it has no balance. I told Ronaldo before he flew out that he will end up playing centre-half because I don't think they have one.

"Barcelona are different because they have grown their squad properly and added one or two players each season. They have a fantastic midfield and they will be once again a threat to everyone taking part in the Champions League."

And a bit on replacing Ronaldo:

"I think it will be difficult for Milan and Manchester United to replace players of the standard of Ronaldo and Kaka," he said. "But it is in the nature of our club that we cope. The expectation is still there and the drive and ambition will still be there. It will be difficult but we will cope. Ronaldo was fantastic for Manchester United. He is the best player in the world, in my opinion, but it is difficult to hold on to players from abroad for any length of time and we never expected him to stay for more than six years."

Onto our own club and Valencia joins up with the team and Sir Alex has some words on him and Ronaldo:

"I hope we find the answer to losing Ronaldo, because to score 26 goals as a winger, which he did last season, is exceptional," said Fergie.

"But Valencia has great potential and he will start against Boca.

"We watched him for a long time at Wigan last season. He's young, he's athletic, he's got good power and, at 23, he can develop with us.

"Ronaldo was fantastic for us. In my opinion he's the best player in the world and gave us a great six years of service. But it's difficult to hold on to players from other countries for any length of time.

"So we're a different team now and we'll shape things differently. We'll be more compact in midfield because Ronaldo was a bit loose in his defending.

"You could forgive that, though, because he'd give you something back in another way. But we'll be more compact as a team this season."

And from the same report Sir Alex explains how he's watched Boca and says a bit on how pre-season is going:

"I know all about Boca," said Fergie. "If you can't sleep on a Friday night and you turn on the TV you'll always see them around 3am.

"So we expect a very competitive game. After 10 days in the Far East we now feel we are coming into a real football situation.

"We appreciated the challenge of the teams in the Far East, but against teams like Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Boca we're into real football now, which will bring us on.

"Most importantly we've come to Munich with no injuries. We're at the stage where everyone's fit.

"We're delighted to be here and looking forward to both games."

On the negative side Owen Hargreaves hasn't joined up with the squad:

"We hoped he would be joining us here in Munich but we cannot rush him," said Ferguson ... "He will not be rushed back."

Sir Alex also has a few words showing confidence in Berba:

"I expected the form we've seen from Berbatov," he said. "Last season was a strange one for him and maybe we didn't use him in the right way. We know exactly how to use him now - further up the pitch, playing as a centre-forward."

Finally there's a piece on The Guardian blog showing the other side to pre-season tours - contributing time to charity projects:

This is a story about fame. Last year, three men fronted a video and poster campaign to try to reduce the spread of HIV in Sierra Leone. They told young men to wear a condom, to stop blaming others for not getting themselves tested, and to fight the stigma of the virus. The campaign achieved dramatic increases in the number of young men who knew how to practise safe sex and who were prepared to be tested. However, the people giving the advice were not doctors, politicians or even film stars, but footballers: Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.

"It is weird," said Michael Carrick, who is talking to teenagers in Hangzhou about the stigma of Aids as part of a Unicef project. "You see kids who maybe haven't got long to live, they meet you and they are happy for a while. It is hard for me to get my head round that. Why should they listen to me? I find that so strange."

And there's also some quotes from Berba:

"Listen," said Berbatov, who, like Giggs, is a Unicef ambassador and supports five care homes in his native Bulgaria. "If David Beckham says something about HIV, then people will remember it. People do listen to the famous and maybe that is a little bit strange. When I was a boy I listened to my parents because what better example can you get than your parents? But many of these kids don't have parents; they need someone else.

"But really, I don't think you should need to talk to a famous person before you can address the problems you face. You need to understand the problems before they hit you. We come here for a reason, that is to train and play football, but there is also this, and I would say it is equally important and when I look back on my life it might be more important."

Forwardirektion:

Since our Asia tour is over it seems a good time to sum up a few things that we've seen so far this pre-season.
Owen is hogging the headlines at the moment (and given the amount that has been written about him since his signing, it was obvious that he would do, whatever he'd done on tour), but I think the star of the show for me has been Berbatov. Here's a video showing (most of) the goals from our last game:



Just look at the skills of Berba. I'm not going to lose sight of the fact that this is pre-season and the opposition, especially in the last game, haven't been up to much, but still, too see Berba playing such great balls (and scoring as well) certainly bodes well for the new season. I guess there is still a question mark for many over Berbatov, and it'll only be when the new season kicks off proper and we see whether he can continue playing like this against proper opposition in proper competition, but his form was for me the main feature of the Asia tour. There seems to be a proper authority to our forward play when Berba is on the pitch, there's always options and when the ball's at his feet he never looks like losing it. A word should also be said about Rooney, who missed out in the 8-2 thrashing but who nevertheless has looked bright and full of running in his (what can almost be considered new) role as centre forward.
Onto Owen. He's scored 4 goals in 4 games, not a lot more could be asked of him. His second against Greentown showed great control and finish. I certainly had my doubts over the signing, but it would be churlish to continue in them. I guess there'll be doubts over his ability to go the season without injury, which won't go away anytime soon, every time he goes down there'll be people wondering whether he'll get up, and the same caveat applies to Owen as to Berbatov - will he still be able to cut it against better opposition. The next few friendlies may give us a clue to that.
The other question is on how we're coping without Ronaldo (Tevez isn't a great loss as far as I'm concerned). And I think the answer to that is - not too bad. Of course you can't replace Ronaldo, but we've still played some great attacking football in the 4 games we've had, Rooney's able to take up his preferred position, which has to be a plus and Valencia hasn't even joined up yet, so we're yet to see what he'll bring to the team. Add to that the fact that Nani has looked good at times (again the proper opposition thing...), so hopefully he'll come on this season, and Tosic has looked full of potential, perhaps he still needs more work on delivering balls into the box, but he's not afraid to take on defenders and has linked up well with Evra at times.
All in all there's a lot more positives to come out of pre-season than negatives. Neville having to go home through injury is worrying, but countering that Rio hasn't looked like being troubled by last season's injuries and Wes Brown has come back looking fit and confident. Giggs scores a hat-trick to signal his intent for one more season like the last, and Scholes who worried me a little with his performance in the first tour game has looked better with each passing game and shows that there's still a bit of life left in him for the new season.
The next round of friendlies may well give us a more realistic view of everything, and we go into them looking good.

We'll Let You Know

Not too much around today, Michael Owen the centre of attention again, this time Ryan Giggs has his say on the striker:

"I don't think there was any real scepticism among the players about his arrival. The manager explained that he provides something we haven't got," said Giggs. "Kiko [Federico Macheda] is probably the most like Michael in the sense that he is an out-and-out goalscorer but he is still very young. Wayne and Dimitar Berbatov do things outside the box.

"Michael is a pure predator and that is something we have not really had since Ruud left. Before that we had Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but our chances-to-conversion rate was not so good last season and Michael should improve that. He is a poacher who scores all types of goals. They all come from inside the box – that's where he does his work and that is where he comes alive."

A lot of the papers concentrate more on Giggs' comments about Owen and England:

"I'm sure if he's playing and scoring for United, then the rest will come," said Giggs. "Sir Bobby's England record has proved difficult for anyone to overhaul.

"It's stood for a long time now. But looking at Michael's ratio of goals and games for England, you'd have to say if he plays another 15 internationals he'll probably overtake it."

The opening to this Times article on his comments is strange given the amount of column inches that had already been devoted to Owen and England before Owen had even kicked a ball for us:

Whisper it, for fear of inviting ridicule, but there is a growing feeling that Michael Owen may yet have much to offer the England team.

If the evidence is flimsy and predictably emanates from within Manchester United, the source is impeccable. Ryan Giggs, the United winger, has been around the block so many times that he must live in a state of perpetual dizziness. However, it is that longevity and experience that make him perfectly placed to judge the merits of the striker who just a few weeks ago was being written off at club level, never mind England.

Owen, 29, has forsaken the chaos of St James' Park for the comparative calm of Old Trafford and, for the moment, is flourishing. Revitalised and injury-free, there is much to admire about his renaissance.

Given that Russell Kempson, who wrote the piece is, so the byline suggests, following the Man United team on their tour, it seems odd to use the word "predictable" in the sense that he does: if he wanted unpredictable comments about Owen, or comments not emanating from Manchester United, he should perhaps have followed another club on their tour. Or written about something else, something less "predictable."
The Independent, as well as the Giggs comments, also has Bryan Robson commentating on Owen:

"Michael has always been top drawer and he knows what he is doing around the box. For me, this is a great challenge for him because he is now alongside some great players who will create chances for him. It's a great opportunity for him to get back into the England side.

"You have to look beyond the last two years he has had at Newcastle. If Michael Owen is really fit and you rotate the squad like Sir Alex Ferguson does, then that is perfect for Michael. You know that if he plays, his record suggests he will score one in two. I look beyond that. I think Michael will do really well with Manchester United but I also think he will succeed in the World Cup finals. You have to remember that five years ago everyone was raving about the combination of Wayne Rooney and Owen.

"Newcastle did not suit Michael's game. He had to keep coming back to the halfway line to find the ball but Manchester United will tend to have more possession than most teams they play against. They will be on the front foot and Michael will be in areas where he thrives, where he can lose defenders with his timing and intelligence. It could be a great move."

One other story today - Mourinho again asked about taking over from Sir Alex, again diplomatic:

"I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson," he said. "If they do, then of course.

"I like England, where the fans are very passionate and make the game a beautiful occasion with such an incredible atmosphere."

The desperation of the papers to make a story where there is none, is typified in The Telegraph, who precede that answer to a question with this:

United chief executive David Gill knows finding a suitable alternative will be the single most difficult task he will face given the success Ferguson has enjoyed with the Old Trafford outfit, and now Mourinho, currently manager of Italian champions Inter Milan, has issued a 'come and get me' plea.

Is that really a "'come and get me' plea?" I don't think so...

How To Disappear Completely

I wouldn't want to suggest any sort of conspiracy going on, but there does appear to be a certain desire in the media for Berbatov to fail. Consider the way his first season has been continually described as a bad one, when it so obviously wasn't. He may not have had the immediate impact that we might have desired, but he still had a good season as far as I'm concerned. Why raise this now? Here's the little write up of Berba in The Mirror's "Player rating":

Dimitar Berbatov: Scored with a fine volley and had a hand in six of the goals. Looked noticeably fitter and, unlike him, seemed to run everywhere.

Standard snide remark about his work rate aside, what else could you ask for from a player - scores and has a hand in 6 out of 8 goals (in 70 minutes on the pitch). He gets an 8. Which is a good score. But if that doesn't deserve a 9, what does (And yes, pre-season friendly, not very good opposition, but you can only rate players according to what they do, not the opposition they play against)? And that isn't even what led me to structure this paper round up around the idea of the media's desire for Berba to fail. Here's a little bit from The Sun's stupidly short match report:

But it was Giggs who stole the show with his terrific treble.

The only mention Berba gets is in the list of goalscorers. To me it was Berba who stole the show with some amazing control, some great touches and playing a part in 6 of the goals. At least The Sun is original in picking Giggs, most everyone else runs with Owen scoring 2. And I'm not suggesting that Owen shouldn't be given praise/column inches for his scoring, given the words written about his transfer, it's only right that the papers continue to write about him when he's doing well. But the same can be said for Berba - given the flak he's received for the duration of his time with us, it would seem right that when he has a game like he had yesterday he should be praised for it, alongside, not instead of, Owen (and Giggs), rather than being ignored so that next time he has a bad game they can have a go again, claiming he's never shone in a Man Utd shirt.
The only person who bucks the trend is Tim Rich in The Guardian:

[If] Manchester United were the Globetrotters, then Berbatov was a kind of Meadowlark Lemon, who had a hand in all the six goals scored in the 70 minutes he was granted. Even when points are at stake, the Bulgarian seldom looks enthused but here in the Yellow Dragon Stadium he unveiled an array of touches that left a game but sometimes shambolic Greentown bemused.

In a report that points out the friality of the opposition he at least manages to praise both Berba and Owen:

what you can say about Owen after a week in a Manchester United shirt is that he looks sharp and motivated - something his critics said he too often was not at Newcastle

The Manchester Evening News report barely mentions Berba:

it is the striking department where Ferguson can have the most to feel pleased about.

When he announced a couple of weeks ago that his spending for the summer was done, Ferguson created an impression of United beginning the defence of their Premier League title one forward light.

However, that may not be the case.

The youngest of the four, 17-year-old Federico Macheda, has shown plenty of confidence, as Wayne Rooney always does.

Dimitar Berbatov got off the mark in South Korea and gave his confidence another boost with a smartly-taken effort here.

The biggest plus, though, is Michael Owen. After scoring in both games in Malaysia, Owen doubled his tally with a well-taken first-half brace against a distinctly ordinary Hangzhou outfit.

In a more competitive environment an inquest would have been held into the failure of the far side assistant to raise an offside flag given Owen was never actually on-side from the moment Nani collected possession to the time United's new striker swept his team in front.

His second was a gem though, Owen taking Berbatov's pass on his chest before volleying home.

Yes, Owen was a plus, but why limit the praise of Berba to his goal and then tone down his part in Owen's second to "a pass," his "pass" was of such quality that it was very much a part of the reason that Owen's goal was "a gem."
The Mirror report has the player rating mentioned above point out the part Berba had in 6 goals, but the report again limits his contribution to his goal, as does The Times, as does The Telegraph. The Mail take it to ridiculous extremes by pointing out how Owen set up Berba last Friday:

Owen was instantly recognisable as the man who has scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for his country and contributed 248 during his eight years at Anfield.

So too was he as he harried a defender in to making a mistake last Friday before presenting Berbatov with a scoring chance. As was always the case, Owen has looked most dangerous out here when sitting on the shoulder of the last defender.

I'll stop complaining now and move onto the quotes. Sir Alex on Owen:

“This tour is not the acid test, but given Michael’s ability and understanding of play around the last third, I think he will be getting goals and things are looking good for us in that position.

“His contribution in overall play is suited to us. He is very clever in the last third and knows when to run and when to hold runs. That, linked with the experience he gives in that position, will be good for us.”

And on giving Owen the no. 7 shirt:

“Our No 7 shirt is a jersey that has been worn by many high-profile players. Michael has been high-profile for the last decade, he has the confidence to carry the No 7. He is a natural to wear it.”

On the overall game:

"I know it might not be judged properly because people may think the opposition was weaker but some of our follow-up play and penetration was first-class last night," said Ferguson.

"For that reason I am delighted.

"The speed of the play at times in the first-half was really good and an indication that we are starting to come to our peak in terms of fitness, timing and the tempo of the game."

Van der Sar has some quotes on his future:

Van der Sar said: "The manager is planning to give Ben more games and I think that's normal. You have to look to the future.

"He (Ferguson) has gone public and explained that as well. That has been the case for the last couple of years.

"But of course you want to play the majority of the games and I still want to play as many games as I can next season.

"I don't know if this will be my last year, though. As far as making a decision, I am going to see how the season goes.

"There will be several factors to consider. Am I still enjoying it? Do the club still want me? Those kind of things I guess."

Giggs on Owen:

"It just proves what we all knew anyway, that he's a goalscorer," Giggs said of Owen's performance.

"He scores all kinds of goals and he's done really well so far."

Finally, The Mail just can't resist with the silly transfer rumours:

Manchester United could rival Liverpool in a fresh move for Valencia’s David Silva.

United, who have also bid for Silva’s team-mate David Villa, are long-time admirers of the Spain midfielder. They know Liverpool are also interested should they sell Xabi Alonso.

Reports in Spain suggest United will make an offer to cash-strapped Valencia this week.

I really am waiting with baited breath for this one to come off...

League of Extraordinary Nobodies

An interview with Sir Alex makes most of the headlines this morning. The fullest account of it seems to be this, from The Observer. I'm in 2 minds about the benefit of the things he says about Man City in it, on the one hand, it seems like the best thing to do would be just to ignore them, but on the other hand, it is very humorous and what Sir Alex says is spot on. Here he is on that poster:

"It's City isn't it? They are a small club with a small mentality," Ferguson retorts. "All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can't get away from it. That arrogance will be rewarded. It is a go at us, that's the one thing it is. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."

And what he has to say about Adebayor is pretty much what everyone knew, but it's still nice to hear Sir Alex say it:

"When someone offers you that kind of money, it is a big attraction to people nowadays. That is the reason they have gone there. At the last minute, from what I can gather, either Emmanuel Adebayor or his agent phoned us after they had agreed a deal with City and then did the same with Chelsea. He was desperate to get to either Chelsea or us."

Here's what he has to say about the transfer market:

"It has been a crazy summer," he sighs. "I would have been interested in some buying, but not when they talked of £50m for David Villa or £55m for Sergio Agüero. That does not seem sensible. But maybe the Ronaldo transfer and Kaká's move to Madrid for £56m sparked something off. Then you had Karim Benzema for £42m.

My favourite quote of the interview is the little dig he has at Tevez at the end of this bit, talking about where our goals are going to come from:

"The area that does concern us is where do we get 26 goals [that Ronaldo scored last season]?" Ferguson says. "That is a concern because I don't have a midfielder like a young Paul Scholes or a young Ryan Giggs who can give me 15-plus goals from midfield areas. We will have to redirect our play a bit more.

"Nani will improve, although he is not as mature as Ronaldo was at his age. I expect Anderson to improve and Darren Fletcher to establish himself as a big player in our squad. [Michael] Owen will get me goals, [Dimitar] Berbatov will be much better. And I don't have to deal with a certain person who is miserable because he is not playing."

Superb. In the rest of the interview he also talks about Wenger and, briefly Benitez, and rules Manchester City out of the title race. The whole thing is worth a read.
The interview leads to a piece on The Guardian blog with a broader look at the ability of Sir Alex's comments to have an impact:

while regretting the modern obsession with first the quote and then the soundbite, it is possible to acknowledge that some people are better at it than others and the football world will be a duller place when all-round entertainers such as Fergie are gone and every club has an interchangeable coach with a thin-lipped smile, a wealth of statistical information and a deferential attitude to the owners.

Two things set Ferguson apart from every other Premier League manager, with the possible exception of Arsène Wenger, who took a while to warm to the idea of fighting battles in the press but now finds it comes naturally. The first is that he enjoys talking about football, and will happily deal with sensible questions instead of regarding press conferences as an unpleasant chore. The second is that he has nothing to prove and therefore nothing to fear. Unlike most managers, Ferguson does not have to guard too many of his words. He can say what he likes and frequently does, because he controls Manchester United and not the other way around. Again, Wenger is in a somewhat similar position at Arsenal, though the studious Frenchman is hardly in the same league for Taggart impressions, Glaswegian feistiness or European Cups.

And that's it. All the other papers cover the story, and they all do it in the same way, "An extraordinary attack," Man City have "irritated Ferguson beyond measure," etc.. Tell the truth in football and it becomes "extraordinary."

I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now

The friendly yesterday and an interview with Rio make up today's fare.
Rio has a fair bit to say. On last season:

"At first I thought it was a bad season, that was my first reaction," he said. "But as time goes on and the days and the weeks pass, you judge it with a clearer head. We won three trophies and reached a second-successive Champions League final. But when you are travelling around in the summer you are never too far from a news stand and I would normally buy a sports magazine but this time I didn't. I was to-ing and fro-ing in my mind if I should have done this or that but it is time to put it to bed. It is over now, it's time to look forward to a new season."

On the new season, new signings and losing Ronaldo:

“We will be a lot more compact as a team without Cristiano.

“He gave us so much going forward, his talent allowed him to be left further up the field than some other players in that position, because you knew what you would get out of him when the ball got to him.

“We will be harder to break down but we have to keep that same potency up front.

“Now we have Michael Owen who has that knack of putting the ball in the back of net and if he keeps fit this season he’s got a great chance of rewriting his career.

“But apart from Michael, the other forwards and midfielders are going to have to take responsibility to make up the goals that have gone out of our team.

“I have every confidence in the players we have to do that.” ...

“I’m like any fan,” he said. “I’m always texting the coaching staff during the summer, wondering who we are going to sign and what’s going on.

“But I wouldn’t have been bothered if we didn’t sign anybody and had to go into this season with the same nucleus of players because I know we have a talented squad already. The encouraging thing is that I know there is so much more to come from our younger players, who have given us glimpses of their talent, like Anderson, Nani, Macheda, Welbeck, Evans, Darron Gibson.

“There is much more, maybe still 10 to 20 per cent more, to come from each of those players in the next couple of years or so. They will be like new signings.”

On Owen:

"Initially I was surprised when he signed. But I was thinking like a fan. If you look at his stats, he has played a lot more games than I thought but after seeing him close up I am very confident we have signed the right type of player. You can understand why the manager has put faith in him. He needs the ball delivered into dangerous areas and other people – the forwards and midfielders – are going to have to take responsibility for that because goals have gone out of our team and they need to be made up. One thing I'm sure of is that Ronaldo's going will bring the best out in our players. We know he scored a lot of goals in the last two seasons for us, especially against the lower teams in the league. He'd get a couple of goals a game against them on a regular basis. But we've got players who we know are capable of doing that and now, whoever's on the pitch, I'm sure they can go out there, do that job and fill the gap."

Macheda takes most of the headlines (ignoring the godlike status of Park and concentrating on football anyway). From The Times:

Federico Macheda staked another claim in the race to take over the mantle of Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford when he scored in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Seoul in the World Cup Stadium yesterday. It was his second goal on the club’s four-match pre-season tour to the Far East.

Macheda may have a long way to go to succeed the multitalented Portuguese in the affections of the United fans. Yet the 17-year-old Italian is uncannily similar in height and gait and has already impressed Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager. ...

“Macheda’s goal was excellent,” Ferguson said. “The lad has a real chance and his movement is very good. He does well on the shoulder of the last defender and he showed that tonight with the goal he scored."

A bit more detail on his performance here:

In these warm-up games, Macheda has done his cause no harm at all, particularly in the latest and undoubtedly most competitive of the four matches United will complete in the Far East.

After delivering a decent left-wing cross that Ryan Giggs completely missed and failing to control an astute pass from the Welshman that would have set him up for the type of spectacular curling effort that he announced his arrival with against Aston Villa last season, Macheda found the net just after half-time.

Strike partner Rooney supplied the killer cross field pass, which sent the teenager scampering clear of a static Seoul defence. The cool way he took his chance justified Ferguson’s belief that Macheda is the best finisher at United, better even than Michael Owen.

A brief look at Park's reception:

The main event for the 64,000 South Koreans inside the World Cup Stadium was seeing national hero Park take to the field, however.

Every big screen shot of the midfielder merely sat on the bench generated huge noise, with the decibels rising even higher when he warmed up down the touchline after the interval.

A noise counter on the big screens reached maximum when Park entered the fray on 74 minutes by replacing Michael Carrick.

But the 28-year-old could not provide the goal that would pretty much have lifted the roof off the stadium had he scored during his brief appearance.

Gary Neville had to return home with an injury:

"Gary Neville tweaked his groin yesterday in training," Ferguson said yesterday after his side's 3-2 win over FC Seoul. "He will probably be ready in about 10 days. It would have been silly to keep him here if he was not going to play so we sent him home."

And just some brief words on Steven Gerrard to finish off with. Of course there's not a whiff of criticism of him (s'far as I saw anyway) to be found. The best I could do was this paragraph, which if you read its understated tone as being a bit sarcastic, you can just about get away with thinking it's critical:

the jury at Liverpool Crown Court accepted that he repeatedly punched Marcus McGee, a company director, in self-defence because he thought he himself was about to be attacked.

And I'm grasping at straws by reading this in the same way:

the footballer approached him as he sat on a barstool. John Doran, Gerrard's friend, elbowed McGee in the face, making him reel backwards and forwards. Fearing that he was about to be attacked, Gerrard landed three uppercuts on his face.

It does at least point out that Gerrard approached him. Wonder if he did that in self defence as well? Kind of like the US went to war to topple Saddam Hussien in Iraq for national security...

Path of Destruction

One good thing about the fact that we've said we're not that bothered about signing anyone else is that I save so much time not having to link to a load of silly transfer rumours everyday. On which note, the main story today is a bit of continuation of yesterday's main story - some further comments on the money situation, this time from David Gill:

“We have our own models and targets and we are operating within those. We are not at the whim of someone pulling out and being disinterested. That is the issue, clearly, but you’d have to speak to those clubs about their plans.

“You read about how Mr Abramovich is feeling when he is up there or down there. Throughout last season, I haven’t spoken to him about it, but they [Chelsea] say that they have to bring in money before they do transfers.

“It is highly unlikely that we would want to go to those levels of spending. We don’t think it’s necessary because we are looking to the medium and long term.

“I just feel that United has been around since 1878 and our job is to make sure it is still around for many more years in a sensible fashion. That is by generating our own income, whether it be through players or generating capital income to take it forward. It is sustainable. Everyone is comfortable with that.”

That from The Times. Here's how The Independent open their telling of the same quote:

Manchester United have admitted that they are no longer able to match the wages paid by Manchester City or Real Madrid in the wake of this summer's boom in the transfer market.

Is saying, "we won't match," the same as saying, "we can't match?" No, I didn't think it was.
He also has a few words on players coming in:

“As you can imagine when Cristiano left, I was inundated with agents offering us this player and that player.

“But are they motivated at 28 or 29 to come to the Premier League. Are they United players? We don’t want to have a knee jerk reaction. We are not in the market for 27, 28 or 29-year-olds for loads of money.

“It doesn’t make sense. We are not interested. Last year we did it for Dimitar Berbatov but that was an exception because that was the one slot that Alex felt had to be filled.

“But generally that is not a road we are interested in going down. It’s the economics of it. You ask yourself if it makes sense.

“You put £25 to £30m in to these players and then you add on the cost per year of the contracts.

“So you have to ask yourself what you will be left with at the end of it.”

And on Tevez:

Gill said they had paid Tevez and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, whose company owned the player's registration, generously while the player was on loan but balked at the final transfer fee. "We paid £9m, £4.5m each season, for two sets of loan fees," he said. "We would have been uncomfortable extending that arrangement in terms of another loan. It was time to regularise that relationship. But I am not sure whether they would have signed. Even around Christmas, Carlos was making noises – not directly to me but through Joorabchian – about his concerns at not being picked for the big games or being a member of the first-choice XI. And we genuinely felt, even before those big deals started at the end of the season, that £25m was a bit rich."

The Manchester Evening News has a further quote on Tevez from Gill:

"There were clearly issues with Carlos. Whether he couldn't grasp what being a member of a squad was I don't know. But he has clearly gone for more money than we were paying him and economically his advisers possibly felt it was better for him to move on.

"Was there a genuine desire on their part to conclude a deal with us? You would have to ask them."

The only other story around is on Park and his new contract, with more quotes from Gill:

Park’s current £30,000-a-week deal runs out next summer and United’s delay in offering him a new deal sparked suggestions he could be facing the exit door at Old Trafford.

But United will clear up the uncertainty by offering the South Korea midfielder – signed from PSV Eindhoven four years ago – a new £60,000-a-week deal.

Chief executive David Gill said: “We have had talks with him and are going to do it so we have left it like that for the moment.

“It won’t be done before the start of the season but pretty soon afterwards.”

The Girls of Summer

Video of Patrice Evra interviewing Ji-Sung Park from MUTV - he has lots of "hot questions," including the killer, "Why you not like English girls?"

My National Pride

Money. It's all about the money. Or is it? There are 2 stories today that show up this contrast. First off we have this look at our pre-season tour in The Guardian. Out there somewhere there's probably an interesting article waiting to be written (maybe already written...) about Premier League teams touring abroad. This article isn't it It isn't too bad, Tim Rich is out on tour with us, so he can obviously be forgiven for focusing on us, but it's still one of those articles that single us out as a money making machine. He even compares us to the beloved Arsenal:

There is no sound footballing reason why United were there. The one-time England wicket-keeper, Jack Russell, prepared for an England tour of the West Indies by going into a sauna fully kitted out in cricket gear but United's attempt to become the first club to win four successive league titles will be decided by how they endure an English winter. And nowhere, not even at Portsmouth in August, will they find a combination of 80% humidity and 35 degree temperatures.

Logically, Manchester United should be with Arsenal in the Alps. The Malaysian side they overcame in two sweat-streaked matches in Kuala Lumpur might have been better than the bunch of Viennese amateurs, SC Columbia, that Arsenal thrashed 7-1 but not by much. And certainly not by enough to justify the 36 hours of flying the team will endure on this tour.

So yeah, we're there for money, to spread the word. So what? If Arsenal could, they presumably would. And if they don't want to, well, sound footballing reasons or not, they haven't won anything for 4 (?) seasons. We have. It ain't doing too much harm is it...
The article is good on pointing out the difference between the brand and the people behind the brand:

Ferguson has remarked that Manchester United are considerably less glamorous when seen from the inside, saying they are like a small family business. Here, you see his point. Ken Ramsden, the club secretary, has been with them since he was a boy – his mother polished the coffins when the dead from the Munich air crash were laid out in the Old Trafford gymnasium. Old heroes such as Paddy Crerand and Bryan Robson are taken along. Their media officer, Diana Law, is the daughter of Manchester United's greatest striker Denis. David Gill, their chief executive, in contrast to his counterparts at City and Chelsea, has the air of a family solicitor.

And so onto the other story. On the one hand we are this money making machine, on the other hand we are a team. A team which knows what is important:

"The manager has a significant amount of money to invest if he wants to," said Tehsin Nayani, the spokesman for the Glazer family, whose ownership of Manchester United is in its fourth year. "The delay has been because the manager has not been able to locate the players he believes fit the Manchester United mindset – players who are motivated to play for United. You don't want mercenaries and you don't want to pay over the odds for players not willing to give their all for the club."

And there you have it in a nutshell. That this thing above money - the idea of the club, of the team - is what continues the success which drives the money making machine. It may be disappointing to see us not get the biggest names in this summer, but I'd rather that than have the likes of Adebayor (and it's so tempting to add Tevez's name here, but I'll leave it..) wear the shirt.
Elsewhere, Berba has a quote (which I either missed yesterday, or which is a new one mixed in with some old ones) about the crowds on tour:

“This is my first ­pre-season with the team and I’ve never been on a tour like this with my previous clubs.

“It is crazy, it is like being in the Beatles! Everybody’s screaming and chanting Manchester United names.

“I’m very happy to be part of it and it makes you feel good that so many people want to come and see you.

“It doesn’t matter where we go, we are always welcomed like we’re the biggest club in the world.”

The Telegraph have a few quotes on Ji-sung Park's future:

Speaking in Seoul this morning, Gill said: "Those discussions will take place. We are looking to extend the contract, but there is no timing on it.

"Sir Alex (Ferguson) and his coaches very happy with him and we are looking to extend the deal, but there is no news at the moment.

"When there is something to announce, we will do so."

United enjoy huge popularity in South Korea and Gill admits that Park's presence only boosts their standing amongst the locals.

He said: "Ji was bought for football reasons obviously, but his presence has helped our commercial situation in the country without doubt.

"We have built a relationship with Kumho Tires, who are sponsoring the game, and Seoul Metropolitan Government and those commercial partners are very important to us."

And the same article has some words on Park from Sir Alex:

"A decision will be taken on Friday about Ji-sung Park, but I'm sure he will be able to play some minutes.

"He hasn't been with us and done the same preparation as most of players, but he will be involved at some point and I'm sure that will give the supporters here a really big lift.

"He was injured and didn't play last time we were here, but I think he still won the man of the match award!

"When a local lad like JSP has left country to play and excel for Man U, at the very highest, the adulation he receives in own country is obvious.

"He has also been star of national team for few years. It is a football nation too, so when he comes back, the reaction is understandable."

The Mail has a piece on Ben Foster very similar to the one in The Guardian I linked to yesterday, but with some, I think, new quotes from Foster on the goal he conceded in the first tour game:

"Coming on in a game is always a bit more difficult for goalkeepers than starting but that was particularly disappointing," said Foster, who had replaced Edwin van der Sar at the interval. "I got a bit of stick from the lads that's for sure.

"It was just one of those things. I wasn't paying enough attention and took my eye off the ball. I have to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again."

Talking Hotel Arbat Blues

Not much about today, mainly just a few quotes scattered across the papers.
There's a bit of look at Ben Foster in The Guardian with some quotes from the player and Sir Alex:

"I have said it before and I will say it again, there is no question in my mind that he will be England's goalkeeper. There is nobody better. I am absolutely convinced of that."But he has two challenges. One is to take the position of Edwin van der Sar, who as everybody accepts, is one of the great goalkeepers of all time." The other, Ferguson accepted, was in the hands of fate. "We have to hope and pray that he stays free of injury and consistency will be everything for the boy."

"It is a big 12 months for me," Foster said today. "I have just got to kick on and start playing a few matches. Of course the World Cup is a big motivation for me. You don't get many chances to play in a World Cup and I feel that provided I can play some games for Manchester United, I have a realistic chance of going."

Quotes from Rio Ferdinand on Owen and his injuries also figure:

"The lads get a great buzz out of seeing someone like Michael Owen score goals," he said. "When he signed for the club there were a lot of doubters out there. People were saying all kinds of things about him. We have heard it all. But the players go in there with an open mind and just hope to see the player we know Michael can be."

Ferdinand added that he has recovered from the injuries that kept him out of the United side last year.

"It is probably the first season I have ever been injured really but I still played 43 games," he said. "However, I accept I missed a few so hopefully this season it will be back to normal practice. I did a little bit of training on my own this summer but I have started the pre-season with everybody else and been happy with it."

An article in The Mail looks at the loss of Ronaldo and how that could affect the formation:

Ferguson was candid this week when he said: ‘He is a huge loss. It won’t be the
same without Ronaldo. It can’t be.’

The trick now for Ferguson is to succeed with different tactics. ‘We will shape it
differently,’ the United manager added. ‘We will be more compact in midfield.’

Perhaps the player who will feel the most pressure is the Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia, bought from Wigan. A right-sided midfielder, he will take Ronaldo’s position.

More disciplined than the Portugal star, Valencia will in all likelihood prompt Ferguson to revert to 4-4-2.

Ronaldo’s unpredictability and versatility compelled United to have extra defensive cover.

With the World Player of the Year gone, United will perhaps become more rigid. What is important is that they don’t become predictable.

Quotes from Berbatov looking forward to building on his good first season:

"I think I can do better this season," he told MUTV. "I think I can do more. That's why I am happy to be on the pre-season tour. It is always beneficial to start well and have a good pre-season and I feel I am training well at the moment. I am here to score goals and I hope to score more and more for United this season."

Quotes from Giggs on losing Tevez and Ronaldo:

"Since I came into the team the likes of Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and David Beckham have left the club.

"But that is what the manager is so good at - reshaping and re-energising the team.

"Carlos and Cristiano were great players but we move on. As players it's like ships in the night. You just get on with it."

A rumour linking us to David Villa:

SIR Alex Ferguson is considering entering the race for Spanish superstar David Villa.

The United manager knows he is well behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in the queue of top clubs lining up for the Valencia striker.

Chelsea and Liverpool are also hoping to lure him to the Premier League.

But Fergie believes there is the chance of nipping in ahead of his rivals after learning of Villa's increasing frustration over his failure to find a new club this summer.

The 27-year-old wants to remain in Spain with Real and Barca his preferred options.

But as yet no move has materialised and the Spanish international is becoming increasingly restless.

Fergie has monitored his situation closely and sources in Spain claim he is ready to meet Valencia's £38m valuation. The danger is that Villa's representatives will use United's interest as a bargaining tool to force the hand of either Real or Barca.

Finally, Mark Ogden has a look at the boredom of the players on our pre-season tour:

It is a tale of DVD's, iPods and sheer mind-numbing boredom for the majority of the players once they have done their training for the day.

Some are lucky enough to be selected for charity or sponsor events, which are viewed as precious opportunities to escape the hotel for just a couple of hours. But those left behind have little else to do, other than run up phone bills, but even attempts to call home are hampered by the + 7 hour time difference.

Today was due to be golf day for the players, but the weather has taken the shine off that plan.

Although most will still head for the course, it won't be so much fun with the rain pouring down. Other than the oppressive humidity – a clingy 89 per cent today – the United contingent could be fooled for believing they were already back in Manchester.

That will not be the case until July 31, though. From Kuala Lumpur, the team heads to Seoul on the club's private plane on Wednesday – on a draining seven-hour flight – before further stops in Hangzhou and Munich.

So just another week-and-a-half of films, long hours and airport VIP lounges.

Memo To Pricey

The main story today is an interview with Sir Alex in he which he speaks on a number of things. The full transcript of it is here. Selection of the best bits - on Tevez:

We made contact with Carlos, I sent him texts and spoke to him when he was in Argentina. David Gill (United chief executive) made an offer to Kia Joorabchian so I spoke to Carlos before the Inter Milan game (in the spring) and said that we had spoken to Kia.

But we never heard back. In my opinion I didn’t think he was worth £25million, that’s just my judgment, maybe I’m wrong. The fans quite rightly have their heroes, and I respect the fans so I was happy to go along with a deal as long as it was the right deal.

Our success is down to the fans and their support, we need them when we are away from home to the likes of Fulham and Arsenal. But simply he was not worth £25m.

He's a lot kinder on Ronaldo:

There’s no doubt he’s a huge loss. I think it’s a challenge for us. It won’t be the same without Ronaldo. It can’t be. Without question, in my mind, he is the best player in this world of ours. By absolutely miles.

He is streets ahead of Messi, streets ahead of Kaka. Absolutely. Look at his figures. They are unbelievable. The attempts he has on goal, the attacks into the penalty box, his positions, headers, shots… it’s unbelievable.

And optimistic on the team without Ronaldo:

Well, we are a different team now and we will shape it differently. We’ll be more compact in midfield because he [Ronaldo] was a bit loose in his defending. We’ll be more compact, but we also have the increasing maturity of players like Darren Fletcher.

Owen Hargreaves will come back, Anderson will improve, Nani will improve, Rooney will improve. I think they’ve got to improve, the young players, and we expect them to improve. I think Dimitar Berbatov will have a terrific season, too. So we’re not so bad.

His thoughts on Owen's place in the squad:

We’re the one club that can carry him because I rotate all the time, anyway.

I won’t ask him to play every four days. I might ask him to play every 10 days, you know. You get the same things off Owen all the time — the ball moves into the last third and he is looking to be in between players immediately.

The ball comes into the penalty box or six-yard box and he is always there.

And his comments on The Champions League final are great:

I know exactly what went wrong, but I’m not going to get into it. We threw it away, I will say that. I’m not getting into it at all. It’s not even worth talking about.

There's more on Man City, Arsenal Chelsea and transfers, so the whole thing is worth reading.
A comfortable 2-0 win in our second friendly against Malaysia is the other news, with this Press Association report, here from The Independent, being circulated in a lot of the papers:

Michael Owen was on the mark again as Manchester United wrapped up the Malaysian leg of their Far East tour with another comfortable win.

Owen got United's second, just two minutes after Federico Macheda's 11th-minute opener, which proved to be the end of the scoring for United, despite their domination. ...

Owen is certainly enjoying himself, and came close to grabbing his second when he met a low Tosic cross with a near-post flick that cannoned off the inside of a post.

Another forward with a desire to impress is Macheda, who made such a huge impression when he was introduced to senior ranks last term.

Now handed the coveted fourth striking berth following the exits of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, the 17-year-old needs to prove he has the consistency to be an effective Premier League operator at such a young age.

There was plenty to be admired about the calm way he finished off a Ryan Giggs cross to open United's account just two minutes before Owen found the net.

Darron Gibson was one of those to impress, showing why Ferguson has handed him a new contract.

Macheda definitely looked bright, Owen's movement looked bright, but a lot of our best football was played after the arrival of Rooney and Berbatov, perhaps reflecting what the pecking order will/should be for the new season. Tosic also looked good, not afraid to run at people, although his crossing needs a bit of work on the evidence of this game.
The Mail is the only paper to do the really predictable thing and pick up on Rooney's loss of temper:

Sir Alex Ferguson sprang to the defence of Wayne Rooney on Monday night after the Manchester United forward marked his second pre-season appearance with an ugly and unnecessary lunge at an opponent here. ...
the 23-year-old let his temper get the better of him when the teams met again last night, diving in at the ankles of midfielder Amar Rohidan. His opponent may have made a meal of it but it was a poor challenge nonetheless, apparently prompted by a tangle Rooney had with goalkeeper Mohammad Marlias earlier.

'The keeper whacked him in the ear and that had already been stitched,' Ferguson said. 'I think that caused it. It was just a momentary explosion of anger.'

The fact that The Mail says that it was a "tangle with the keeper", when, as Sir Alex points out, it was a "whack" from the keeper, says everything about their agenda.
Some post-match quotes from Sir Alex:

"I am pleased that Macheda and Owen have struck up a good
partnership.

"We have big hopes for Macheda. He is one of the reasons we didn't go into the
market. He is strong, athletic and a good finisher.

"He played his part last season but he is just a young lad learning his game."

Ferguson was also pleased with Owen, who grabbed his second goal in two
pre-season games.

"It was a typical Michael Owen goal. He reacted first as he did the other
night, his whole contribution was very good," he said.

Fitter Happier

All the papers feature quotes from Wayne Rooney today. On Ronaldo leaving:

“With Cristiano leaving it does leave a huge hole when it comes to goals and that is why it is important the likes of myself, Berba and Michael chip in,” he said.

“We all need to score more goals than we did last year, ­especially me and Berba.”
“I’ve spoken to Cristiano since he left and wished him well,” he said.

“He was a great player for Manchester United but it was his wish to go and I think the club have respected that.

“He did a great job for us and the money we got for him was unbelievable.

And disappointingly tactful on Tevez:

“Carlos is a great lad and it was a shame that his future ­never got sorted out and he didn’t stay – but that’s football.

“I’m sure a lot of people will have a lot to say about him ­joining City but it’s one of those things and I don’t want to say too much about it.”

On Owen:

“I’ve played with Michael for England many times so I know him well,” said Rooney.

“He’s looked really sharp in training and you could see by the way all the lads celebrated with him how pleased they were for him when he scored.

“We’re delighted to get him. He’s a great goal-scorer, a good finisher, and we’re all sure he’ll bring us some goals. The move will give Michael a new lease of life.

“Over the last couple of years he’s had some criticism but it would have been difficult for any player to score in that Newcastle team.

There's a strangely wrong sentence about Tevez in The Times:

United are having to adjust to life after Carlos Tévez, too. Though less stellar or as self-obsessed or as regularly used as Ronaldo, the hard-working Argentina forward felt unloved at Old Trafford and also felt the urge to move on, around the corner to Manchester City.

Not self-obsessed? The man who has done nothing but whine about not being treated with the respect he felt he deserved and who claimed we'd have won the Champions League if only he'd started? Not self-obsessed at all...
There's some words from Sir Alex on Ben Foster quoted in The Telegraph:

"Saturday was Ben's first game for three or four months after suffering his injury at the end of last season and we had to operate.

"But I've said it before that, in the long-run, I think he'll be England's goalkeeper. I'm absolutely certain of that.

"Ben has a challenge to take the position of Edwin van der Sar, though, because as everybody accepts, is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time."

"We hope and pray Ben gets a long run without an injury consistency will be important for the boy."

The Sun has a bizarre article in which it has "the top ten Fergie flop signings," the catalyst being Michael Owen's signing - this a couple of days after he scores on his debut. Great timing.
They almost make up for that rubbish with this story on Tevez:

MAN Utd slashed former star Carlos Tevez's final pay packet after his mansion was "trashed".
The club had paid the rent on the £1.5million home which needed up to £30,000 of repairs after the ace left.

A United source said: "The house was a tip and we made Carlos pay. We don't know who was responsible.

"But the matter has now been resolved."

There's a match report of our game on Saturday in The Sun, nothing really worth quoting. Both that report and this in The Mail single out Rooney for praise.
The Daily Star report on a special training regime for Michael Owen:

Sir Alex Ferguson was well aware of the striker’s injury problems before picking him up in a stunning free transfer.

So he and his coaches have devised a detailed plan that focuses on building up the muscles in the area where Owen has had problems in the past.

And so far the regime appears to be doing the trick as the 29-year-old striker has taken a full part in every pre-season session – impressing his new team-mates.

Owen’s programme focuses on the muscles around the knee in which he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2006 World Cup, as well as his hamstrings and groins, which have dogged him all his career.

Finally, The Guardian have an update on the Douglas Costa situation - pretty much as you were, but Chelsea are also sniffing abou - most important sentence:

For a deal to Old Trafford to materialise, Gremio will have to accept that United will not pay what they consider to be over the odds for a player who has only just broken into his club's first team. David Gill, United's chief executive, has already informed Gremio that a deal is impossible at the current price. Chelsea, similarly, are not interested unless the players valuation is slashed to a more realistic mark.

Word from our sponsor

The story of the day is Michael Owen scoring on his debut:

Owen, introduced as a 61stminute substitute by Sir Alex Ferguson, showed his clinical precision of old with a low shot into the corner after Malaysia keeper Farizal Marlias had saved at the feet of Italian youngster Kiko Macheda.

Here's what Sir Alex had to say about it:

“It was a typical Michael Owen goal.

“He was the first man to react, which is just what you would expect.”

“I am sure he was looking forward to it,” said Ferguson.

“When you consider the type of player Michael is, he was always going to be looking to score that type of goal.

“There was nothing unusual in it and he will be delighted to have got off the mark.”

The other goals described in The Times:

A strong United team, containing Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney up front, strolled to a 2-0 lead inside half an hour, having scored the opening goal after eight minutes. Darron Gibson found Berbatov in the penalty area and his languid poke deflected to Rooney, who fired home with aplomb.

Twenty minutes later Rooney, who spent most of the first half instinctively moving out to the left touchline, drifted in from the flank and slipped a delightfully disguised pass into the path of Nani, who finished neatly under the goalkeeper.

Michael Owen then has some long quotes featured in all the papers, here's a selection, from The Independent:

"I'm not going to say I was dragged down by Newcastle but there are footballers who play better in better teams. I just know it will be fantastic for me – I feel like I did eight years ago," he said. "There are so many players on my wavelength – world-class players. I can see Wayne Rooney or Paul Scholes, as soon as they get the ball, looking for one of my runs.

"I might add something the team haven't got at the moment. Nobody is going to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, even though I wear his shirt, but if someone like Wayne could improve his game five per cent, that would help and I can add a little bit."...

"When you sign, there are that many things you think about. You think of the players that are alongside you, you think about playing at Old Trafford and the men who are going to create chances for you and then you wake up the next morning and think: 'I could win the League or the Champions' League.' It just goes on and on and you become a very excited young man. And yes, I am still young."

And from The Telegraph on pre-transfer speculation:

The former Liverpool forward's standing in England appeared to be on the wane, however, when only Hull and Stoke emerged as interest parties prior to Sir Alex Ferguson's move. Even Wigan and Blackburn wrote Owen off as injury prone and past it. "The one man who in world football who you would want a good opinion from is the one man (Ferguson) who wanted to sign me," Owen insists.

"There are some clubs who it's good for if they come out and say they want to sign you.

"It gives a club's fans a lift if they are going in for a player like Michael Owen, but I could have gone to a number of other clubs who were going things quietly."

And Terry Venables is a hypocrite. On Friday I pointed out that he was suggesting we buy Eto'o in a column advertising the tournament of which he is an "ambassador" (Barcelona are playing in that tournament). Here's a selection of his words from that column:

the same Eto'o I believe can fill the void at Old Trafford caused by the shattering departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. ...

Ferguson has brought in Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan.

All three are excellent signings. But, with respect, those deals hardly rocked football

And now, let us see what he has to say in today's paper:

on came Owen to mark a great start to his time with the Red Devils. And the goal had Venables applauding Sir Alex for his shrewdness.

El Tel said: “It is a logical step forward for Alex Ferguson, in my opinion.

“He’s lost the world’s best player and he’s also lost Carlos Tevez.

“If Owen doesn’t get injured, he will score. He may have lost a yard of pace but his anticipation is as good as ever, if not better, and if he gets loads of chances, he will get a lot of goals. You can spend £15m or £20m on a striker and not get that many goals.”

So one day we're meant to splash the cash on Eto'o to "fill the void", the next we've managed to "fill the void" without spending any money. The difference? The second quote isn't sponspored...

Don't Worry About Me, You Have to Live with Yourself

Some of the papers try to make a different story out of our trip to Indonesia being cancelled due to the recent bombings. The (mainly unwritten) suggestion that money was put above safety. Take this from The Mail:

Manchester United knew of the high risk of terrorist attacks in Indonesia when they agreed to incorporate Jakarta in their Asia tour schedule, it emerged on Friday night. ... The Barclays Premier League champions were forced to confront some difficult questions about their decision to include Jakarta on their itinerary. When tour details were finalised earlier this year, advice on the Foreign Office website was categoric, stating that Jakarta was considered 'high risk' for British visitors and public places such as Western hotels were described as particularly vulnerable.

The main point seems to be that when the trip was agreed the "terror level" was "high." This from The Telegraph adds something to this though (the only report that I saw that does):

United agreed to the Indonesia trip, worth around £2 million, after talks with the Foreign Office, who downgraded Indonesia’s terror level from high to general last month, their own security team and authorities in Jakarta.

So they all make a big deal of what the level was when the trip was organized because when the trip the was being made the threat was "general" - and that doesn't make for a story to criticise us with.
This story from The Daily Star has the straightest telling and the best round up of quotes:

[David] Gill said: “We were aware of the situation (Foreign Office warnings) and had discussed it carefully, taking the appropriate advice.

“We discussed it with the relevant authorities and it was the right decision at the time. We didn’t just take the decision ourselves. We discussed it with the experts and felt that it was a safe place to go.

“It was our first visit, everyone had worked extremely hard and it is an important market for us because we have a lot of fans there.

“Balancing everything up, we felt it was the correct decision, but I think we have made the correct decision today, regrettable as it is.”

The United squad, who were due to stay at the Jakarta Ritz-Carlton, heard the news of the bomb attacks as they stepped off their flight from Manchester.

Manager Ferguson said: “We are obviously shocked. We had never been to Indonesia before and the organisers had worked hard to get us over there.

“It is a terrible disappointment for them, but there was no other way we could have looked at the situation with regard to the safety of our players, staff and fans.

“We wouldn’t have been comfortable going there and I believe we have made the right decision.”

Other stories - We sign a new player and The Sun dress it up as getting one over Arsene Wenger, and their telling is quite funny, on Sir Alex announcing it:

Arsenal boss Wenger was hoping to land Mame Biram Diouf from Norwegians Molde but United moved quickly to sign him up.

The 21-year-old ace will be in Manchester next week for a medical but then loaned back to Molde before returning to England permanently in January.

Old Trafford manager Fergie revealed the signing at a Press conference in Kuala Lumpur before being stopped in his tracks by chief executive David Gill, who was sat next to him.

Gill mumbled that the deal had not officially been completed only for the club to then announce an hour later that it had!

Ferguson admitted: "We weren't intending on signing anyone else after Gabriel Obertan last week - we feel we have a full squad - but the situation accelerated to a point where other clubs started to make bids, so we had a decision to make.

"We decided to act now and he'll be the last person we sign this summer."

Diouf has scored 38 goals in 73 games for Molde, the same club from whom United landed a then unknown called Ole Solskjaer in 1996.

I like the fact that days after he said we'd be signing no one else he signs someone else and says that this will be the last... This Daily Star link has a video of Diouf scoring some goals.
Going out of the club, Manucho leaving for Real Valladolid:

the 26-year-old forward has been lured by the promise of first team football with the Spanish giants and is due in Valladolid in the next few days to undergo a medical and sign a contract.

And on the comeback trail, Owen Hargreaves is looking to be back for September, according to Sir Alex:

I think we are looking at the end of September depending on how he reacts,' said Ferguson.

'We are happy with his rehabilitation so far and while he won't be ready to play in Munich, he will be able to train.'