A Sunday Smile

Two contradictory thoughts on the Ryan Giggs thing, 1) that if he'd not bothered with a superinjunction it would all be over and forgotten about by now; 2) that because of the superinjunction he's getting it out the way close-season when he can just lie low, no need to face the crowds/cameras every week.

Onto the actual stories in the papers and The Daily Star have awful news regarding Phil Jones - he's the new John Terry!  That's according to his former youth team coach.  Is it too late to back out of the deal?

Well, according to the Mail on Sunday, no.  They sensationally tell us that the deal "lies in tatters," and that

Blackburn’s Indian owners have reacted furiously to what they perceive as United’s attempt to railroad them into selling the 19-year-old and have told United: ‘We will not be bullied’. 

And in a stunning 11th-hour development on Saturday, the Mail on Sunday can reveal that Liverpool have told Blackburn they will pay £22million for Jones, a move that will ruin Sir Alex Ferguson’s holiday mood as he takes a break in the south of France.

However, as The Telegraph more realistically tell us: 

Jones has told Blackburn he wants to join United rather than Liverpool, and the Old Trafford club are convinced that the detail of Jones's contract means they will succeed in completing his signing within a matter of hours.

The Independent have a quote from Man Utd, from "a club official,":

"There are no serious problems and it should go through early this week"

The Daily Star go insane, claiming that our summer "spending spree" is being funded by the Qatari royal family.  This despite it being known for an age that we had a huge transfer kitty.  We haven't even spent the Ronaldo cash yet. And the People run the same story (linking it to a fresh bid for Wesley Sneijder) and claim that we're going to be taken over by the Qataris.  Not sure where this is coming from.  Back at the end of May in this paper round up I mentioned that we had £160 million to spend this summer.  Which figure came from here, saying:

According to Manchester United's most recent accounts, the club have £113m in the bank. That has fuelled suspicions that the owners will withdraw some of it in dividends but insiders claim it is there for transfers and to guard against unforeseen events.

That figure is expected to rise to more than £160m by the end of the summer, if it follows the pattern of previous seasons, once season-ticket revenue for the coming season is banked.

So where these other reports are coming from, who knows. 

The Mirror continue their record of printing a load of shit everyday of the week, with a silly story about Ronaldo to Manchester City for £160 million and £400,000 a week.  Yeah, that's happening.

The Mirror finally print something worthwhile, some quotes from Chris Smalling:

“When I got the chance to ­become a Manchester United player I knew that it was a massive club and that because they are so used to winning trophies I would have to bide my time and be ­patient.

“To play a big part in the team’s success has been so exciting for me. I expected a few games, but the magnitude of some of them has been amazing. I already feel that I am a much better player than I was last year because Sir Alex Ferguson has shown confidence in me and I now feel comfortable ­whoever I come up against."