Day-Trippers New Fashion Accessory

A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day.

Dual Scarf At The Manchester Derby

This seasons must have fashion accessory for the Old Trafford day-trippers, is an item I find disgusting and utterly offencive. The new must have item to go with other stand out day-tripper wear, like the Megastore bag, official Manchester United tracksuit or official shirt, and long lens camera, ladies and gentleman, I present to you ..............The Dual Football Scarf.

For anybody who is unsure what a Dual Football Scarf is, let me explain, a Dual Football Scarf Is a scarf that is half one football team, complete with team crest, and half another team with team crest.

Dual Scarves have been around for a long time on the continent, and I can fully understand why a supporter travelling away on a Champions League trip would purchase, let's say for arguments sake, a Dual Scarf which is half Manchester United and half Bayern Munich. The scarf would be a nice keeps sake, a souvenir, something to remind you of your journey and the game. I would have no problem wearing a scarf that was half United, half Bayern Munich as they are not a local rival.

So imagine when to my amazement,  I stumbled across a group of United day-trippers at Old Trafford this year for the Manchester Derby, who were all wearing Dual United/City scarves. At first glance I thought it was a United fan with a Manchester City scarf on, so you can imagine my confusion. This was until I noticed that when he turned around the other half of his scarf had the United colours and club crest on it.

I was that angered and embarrassed by them, that I took the photograph for this article with my Iphone so that I could show it to other United supporters and get their views on it (see picture above). I was absolutely staggered that somebody would buy a Dual United/City scarf, it just goes to show that the people purchasing these scarfs do not have a clue about rivalry. A high majority of supporters will understand football rivalry, it's common knowledge that if you decided to go and watch a Barcelona v Real Madrid game at the Nou Camp, you would probably avoid buying a dual scarf and wearing it in the home end.

Personally, I would never wear a scarf that had the club crest of a Premier League rival on it. You could not imagine your hardcore Mancunian United supporter, who follows his team home and away, turning up at Anfield with a Dual United/Liverpool scarf could you? Which tells a story in itself. The people that are purchasing these scarfs are people who are attending Old Trafford for the first time, or using Old Trafford as a tourist attraction, a day out. They see the Dual Scarf as a souvenir to bring home with them, they obviously have no idea or clue about United's history, or rivalry with certain clubs, otherwise they would not buy them.

Dual-Scarves are a sign of how football has changed so dramatically over the years. You definitely could not imagine a Dual Scarf knocking about in the 60s, 70s or 80s. These were days when supporters of football club's were mostly local people who were attached, and supported their club because of where they come from. Being a successful team means that people from all over the world will be drawn to you like a magnet.

I have no problem with this, it's what makes Manchester United's global brand and support so strong compared to others. I just wish that people claiming to support United would do their homework before coming to Old Trafford, and embarrassing us Mancunian's in the process by wearing Dual Scarves that have rival teams crests visible on them.

Keane Still Bitter Over United Exit

Ferguson & Keane's Friendship Is Over

Two people who certainly will not be exchanging Christmas cards this year are Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane. Sundays eye opening two page spread in a national news paper by Keane, had the ramblings of a bitter old man written all over it.

Keane is still evidently licking his wounds from 2005 when by "mutual consent", Keane and Manchester United, decided to part company.

A scathing negative rant about United's 2005 crop of players on their in house TV channel MUTV was what ended Keane's United career.

Keane has repeatedly criticised United and how the club is run in the press, he displays the views of a man who is finding retirement and two failed attempts at management with Sunderland and Ipswich, difficult to accept.

The only person to blame for Keane's departure from Old Trafford, is himself. Keane was told to try and remain positive when giving his thoughts on a match United had been well beaten in, what did Keane do? The complete opposite, he was ruthless in his assessment of the team,  he even questioned if the players who played were good enough to play for United.

The club and the manager were stunned and outraged by Keane's comments, they acted swiftly to make sure the programme did not go out on air. Like any school pupil who is a disruption to the class, he was effectively expelled from the United School.

So it hardly come as a surprise when Keane, now working as a pundit for ITV Champions League games, was highly critical of United's exit to Basle at the group stages. Keane firmly set the cat amongst the pigeons with his assessment of United, comments that obviously touched a nerve with Sir Alex, who made a comment in reply to his sides dressing down by questioning Keane's managerial record, which was a bit of a cheap shot on the United manager's behalf.

Both Keane and Ferguson were correct, but it is the nature of the jibes that are being thrown back and forward that suggests that there is more to this than just Keane being bitter about leaving United on bad terms. What Keane should realise, is that he started the fall out back in 2005.

The friendship between Keane and Ferguson is strained beyond repair, both men are strong, stubborn characters, who will not back down. A recent snub by Keane to attend a dinner party to celebrate Ferguson being in charge of United for twenty five years proves this. Keane claims he turned down the chance to attend because he would not have been able to stand up and clap Ferguson.

What Keane should realise is that United made him the player he was, no player is bigger than the club. Other players have left United on bad terms, Japp Stam, Rudd van Nistelrooy and David Beckham, all of whom, made up with Ferguson years after their departure, so why can't Keane? If everybody held a grudge against Keane then he would not be welcome back into his home country, following his decision to walk out on his nations national side during the 2002 world cup, following a disagreement with Mick McCarthy, who was the Republic of Ireland manager at that time.

Something else that Keane said in his article was that Ferguson's managerial record was down to players like him, well it works both ways Roy. Would Keane have been so decelerated as a player if he had joined another club instead of signing for United? Old Trafford handed Keane the platform he craved to help him fulfil his potential and become a legend and a success, Ferguson moulded him into the quality player he turned out to be .

Keane also said that United never stood by him? Is he being serious? Keane missed the whole of the 1997-98 season because of a cruciate ligament injury, caused by an attempt to kick and injure Leeds United player Alf-Inge Haaland. Manchester United rehabilitated him, and I assume Keane would have picked up his weekly wage during this time? He also threatened to leave United in 1999 if they did not pay him what he thought he was worth, the club gave in to his demands and quite rightly paid him the money he wanted, reported to be around £50,000 per week.

Roy Keane is without a doubt a Manchester United legend, but he is seriously beginning to affect his own status at Old Trafford. Keane needs to realise that Ferguson is the leader at United and is a far more influential figure than Keane ever was, and ever will be. Whilst Keane gives his views on the game as a pundit, Ferguson will continue to manage the most successful English football team in history, and the empire that he created.


@KevinAshford7

Crisis At United ? What Crisis ?

Following Manchester United's exit from the Carling Cup and Champions League respectively, the media and a number of supporters were quick stating their view that  United were a club in crisis.

It's not the first and will certainty not be last time that word will be associated with United, it's part and parcel of being successful and arguably the biggest club side in the world.

The media love to print stories about United for one main reason, it sells papers. The morning after United crashed out of the Champions League the back pages were awash with the usual "Fergie Past It" headlines, but the word "crisis" was used by the majority of the media to sum up United's cup exits. The definition of the word crisis can be loosely used to describe a "testing time".

I for one do not see this as a testing time, but more as a transitional stage in rebuilding a team that has lost Edwin Van Der Sar, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes, who have all been great, important players for the club, and are almost individually impossible to replace.

In 2005 United went out of the Champions League at the same stage they did this year. The team that went out at Benfica that evening featured young players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Darren Fletcher, John Oshea & Alan Smith. These were all players relatively young and looking to establish themselves at United. Fast forward six years to that defeat in Basle and you would have seen David De Gea, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Ashley Young all trudging off the pitch with their heads sunk into their chests.

It's a similar situation as 2005 in my opinion, this team is trying to establish itself, and Sir Alex is trying to decide how best to use certain players, like Phil Jones for instance. It will take time for these player to form an understanding between each other.

Also take into account the crippling injuries United have had to deal with this season, currently nine senior players are sidelined, and the fact that they are only two points behind league leaders Manchester City, who effectively won the lottery the day that Sheik Mansour purchased the club, and things don't seem too bad do they? United are currently five points better off than they were at the same stage last season, which just goes to show how impressive City's start to the season has been.

City have been labelled the "Barcelona of English football" by many, following their best ever start to a league campaign, United are only two points behind them. Lets just say that if City had not won the lottery, and we take them out of the equation and assume that they would be lingering around mid-table, currently United would be five points clear of Chelsea in the Premier League title chase, hardly a crisis is it?

United cannot compete with City financially and probably never will be in a position to flex their muscle like City can, but for United to be only two points behind City leading into the busy Christmas period, suggests to me that there is no crisis at Old Trafford.

Traditionally, history suggests United find another gear in the second half of the season, and despite the injuries that threaten to hinder their title chances, you would not bet against them making it a twentieth league title this season. The Premier League, in terms of a race is a marathon, not a sprint. City have set the pace so far, it's up to United to maintain the pace and try and overtake its Mancunian rival.

It's Thursday Night Football For United

As Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle against Basle, most notably the happiest people excluding the anti-United football fans, would have been the TV executives of Channel 5 and ITV4, who would have thrown clenched fists into the air in celebration of securing their new blockbuster programme called the Europa League, to be aired on Thursday evenings in February 2012.

On paper, United's group was set up for last years finalists to advance to the knockout stage. It spectacularly backfired against Basle as the English champions trudged off the field of play at full time following a 2-1 defeat, heads transfixed to the turf, as it started to sink in that Manchester United, will now be entering unfamiliar territory in February next year, when they will compete in the dreaded Europa League, a Competition that the majority of Europe's elite clubs would rather not be associated with or involved in.

United only have themselves to blame for this seasons early Champions League exit, but it was the manner of the defeat against Basle that was alarming. Supporters also seem certain to be heading for a direct head on collision with Man Utd owners the Glazer's over ticket prices for the Europa League games. Rumours are surfacing that they intend to keep ticket prices the same for the Europa League as they would have been for the Champions League.

The Glazers could also even infuriate supporters further more, by increasing ticket prices to try and make up for the unexpected financial losses in lost Champions League revenue, believed to be in the region of £20million for failing to qualify for the knockout stage. If his is true then United supporters who are against the Glazer ownership will simply use these matches as demonstrations against the Americans by not buying tickets for the Europa League games.

So United will now be playing in a European competition early next year that will not involve the Uefa Champions League anthem being blared out on the Old Trafford PA system. The last time United failed to make the knockout stage was 2005, but a least that year, they were that bad they did not qualify to drop in to the Europa League basement.

It makes you wonder if Sir Alex would have preferred to finish bottom of the Champions League group this year and avoid the dreaded Europa League? One thing is for sure, Television executives will welcome Manchester United's early exit with open arms, as United will guarantee extraordinary TV ratings that they will never have experienced before. TV insiders say that a similar previous Europa show involving Liverpool was "ok" for viewing figures, but they expect the Man Utd viewing figures to be in a different league all together to their Liverpudlian rivals.

Supporter's United Over Ticket Price's



Empty Seats Were Clearly Visible

Manchester United supporters sent out a clear statement to their American owners during the Carling Cup quarter final against Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening at Old Trafford.

It is estimated that Utd were roughly 22,376 spectators short of a full house, their lowest attendance figure for a competitive match at the Theatre of dreams in just over six years.

The statement was clear and could be seen by the viewing public who tuned in to watch the reds cup clash in the form of the amount of empty upturned seats clearly visible to the human eye. Prior to the match Utd refused to lower the price of tickets, and it is believed that adult tickets were around £42.

It is absolutely scandalous and outrageous to charge such an amount for what was a Carling Cup game against championship opposition. Perhaps the happiest people that evening would have been the ones who would have been sat watching the match at home or in their local drinking establishment with the green and gold scarf around their neck, fully backing the "Anti-Glazer" agenda. The match can now be looked back on as a demonstration by supporters, venting their anger at the Glazer family for pricing fans out of going to watch the working mans game.

Utd must have known at the start of the week that they had 22,376 tickets to sell, so why did they not offer them to local schools or youth clubs? These local schools and youth club's are where the next generation of reds will come from and Utd need to realise that they need to attract younger supporters to come to Old Trafford.

Even if they offered them for free to children it still  surly would have made business sense. How many of them children would have visited the mega-store or made a food or beverage purchase inside the ground? This would have been money that would have gone into the Glazers back pocket, so it is their loss.

If tickets had become more affordable and realistic Old Trafford would have been full, but the worrying thing is as a Utd supporter is the Glazers do not actually seem interested or intent on acting upon the scene of them empty seats. They should take notice and could learn a few things from Manchester City, who's owners have impressed me on the commercial and ticketing side of the game.

Glazers Need To Review Ticket Pricing

The evening before United's quarter final cup game, Arsenal played Manchester City at the Emirates and all tickets including the away teams were set at a reasonable £10. So it was no surprise to see that the Emirates was almost packed to the rafters. £10 to go and watch two premier league teams play in a cup quarter final, why could Utd not have done something similar?

Do the Glazers not realise a global recession is now kicking in on the football side of things as supporters start to give up season tickets that they can no longer afford to keep, and also stop going to football grounds because it has become far too expensive for a family or the average working-class person to attend? If ticket prices for a cup competition that is fourth on the list of season priorities remain the same then expect more Old Trafford demonstrations, or empty seats as the majority of other supporters will view it as.

Manchester United are arguably the most famous and best supported football club side on the planet, Wednesday evening has taught the Glazers a lesson, they need to stop taking supporters for granted.


@KevinAshford7

A Tragic & Sad Loss For Football

On the 27th of November 2011, a statement from the Football Association of Wales read that their manager Gary Speed had died at the age 42. It was news that shocked the world of football as tributes from players, pundits, and supporters flooded in for a player turned manager who was a well respected figure within the game.

Speed had appeared publicly as a guest on BBC Ones Football Focus only hours before his death, and presenter Dan Walker described Speed being in "fine form". After filming Speed then joined former team-mate Alan Shearer to watch the Manchester United versus Newcastle United.

Speed, was found by his wife, Louise, in the garage of their home in the village of Huntington, near Chester, shortly after 7am on Sunday. Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. The couple lived in Huntington with their two teenage sons, and Speed was said to have been a devoted family man.

Speed was a gentleman, a success and a popular terrace favourite at the teams he represented at club level. He started his career at Leeds United as a raw 19 year old back in 1988, he was the midfield engine of the team in 1992 that won the Football League First Division championship title. Speed was quick, strong and had a great vision for making passes, he was also versatile and this showed in his early years at Leeds as he was played in nine different outfield positions. He would finally end up playing his best and most effective football on the left side of midfield.

He was clearly a player who wore his heart on his sleeve and was passionate about the beautiful game. In theory he is the complete opposite to the majority of modern day footballers in today's game. By that i mean players who refuse to warm up or take to the field, hold clubs to ransom by demanding pay increases or a transfer, and stagger out of night-clubs at 5am in the morning with a WAG wannabe on each arm. I could not Imagine Speed ticking any of the above boxes, he was a respected role model, a professional and the type of player that youngsters should look up to.

Speed went on to play for Everton, Newcastle,Bolton and Sheffield United. It was at the age of 40 that Speed decided to hang up his boots and admitted that his playing days were over, Sheffield United were soon to offer him his first managerial job after they sacked Kevin Blackwell. Speed jumped at the chance and on the 14th of December 2010, after only just a month in charge at Sheffield he agreed to take the job as Wales manager, with the blessing of his club side.

They say it is only when somebody has gone that you look back and appreciate what they did, and personally I have to agree with that as i started to watch the news and hear the moving and touching tributes flooding in from supporters of the clubs he had represented, and even those he had no connection with. It seems that everybody has only kind words, and a strong respect towards Gary Speed. He was evidently a player who enjoyed his time in the game and always put in a shift on the football field.

We might not ever find out the reason for this sad and tragic death. One thing is for sure, Gary Speed will forever be remembered in the world of football for what he did in a football shirt, by the players who played with him, played against him, and by the supporters who watched him from the terraces. It is just a shame we will now never know if he could have taken Wales to a major tournament as a manager. It would be a fitting tribute to Gary Speed if the current crop of Welsh players could make the next World Cup finals in his memory.

Alan Would Have Been Shear Magic At United

Looking back over the years that have past, there are a number of transfer targets who realistically could have ended up playing their trade under the floodlights at the Theatre of Dreams. Names like Batistuta, Zidane, Ronaldinho & Robben were all linked with a move but one player springs to mind who was very close to making the switch -Ex Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer.

In the summer of 1996 the nation was fully behind an England team who was playing in their home county in a major tournament in the form of the European championship or "Euro96" as it will be remembered.

Leading that team that come so close to winning the tournament was Alan Shearer who at the time was playing his club football for Blackburn Rovers. In the 94/95 season he was responsible, almost single handedly for bringing the Premier League crown to Ewood Park scoring 34 goals. No disrespect to Blackburn but this is something that I can't see happening again which starts to explain just how good a player Shearer was. 

That summer of 1996 represented United's last realistic chance of acquiring the services of a player who previously turned them down in 1992 in favour of a £3.3million switch from Southampton to Blackburn, Shearer, at the time said United were taking too long to get the money together for the transfer, obviously nothing to do with the money that Chairman Jack Walker was offering him then?

It was the summer of 1996 and during that tournament the media exploded into a Shearer frenzy predicting that he would finally end up at Manchester United for a fee in the region of £15million, which seems like small change in today's game when you take into account that clubs have billionaire owners who throw money at clubs like confetti. Figures in the media started to drool over the thought of Shearer playing in a team that looked set to dominate the domestic league for years to come.

One thing is for sure that the interest from United that summer is evident and was serious. Shearer himself has gone on record to back it up saying that he spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson about making the move. It is was even reported that when Sir Alex spoke with Shearer and he asked him if he had any questions regarding life in Manchester or to do with the club Shearer responded with two questions, "can I have the number nine shirt?" he said, and his last question was "can I take the penalties?". If this is true then Sir Alex must have been confident that he could pencil Shearer in along side Eric Cantona for the 96/97 football season.

It is also Well documented that the Blackburn owner at the time Jack Walker said "over my dead body" when asked about the chances of Shearer ending up at Old Trafford. Walker then offered Shearer to Newcastle for £15million but said that Manchester United would have to pay £20million?

It was after the Euro96 tournament that Shearer informed us all of his decision and that he had chosen to join the club he supported as a child - Newcastle United. Manager at the time Kevin Keegan had won the race to sign the hottest property arguably in world football at the time and even claimed he signed Shearer for "the good of English football" as he pointed out the reds would have been unstoppable had Shearer opted for a switch to Old Trafford.

Was this another slap in the face for Sir Alex? Shearer had chosen to turn United down for a second time in his career, not many players are offered an opportunity to play for United but this time it was certain to be his last chance considering his age and the length of contract that Newcastle offered him. 

It is debatable if United would have been anymore successful than what they were from 1996 onwards. Shearer's first season in the black and white of Newcastle United ended with no silverware and it was the United of Manchester who were crowned champions. Shearer would soon become acclaimed to not winning silverware following his move as Newcastle threatened but failed to land any domestic trophies following his world record transfer fee. It is something Sir Alex must look at with a hint of smugness on his face, you can imagine him thinking "I told you Old Trafford was the club for you to fulfil your ambition of winning trophies".

At the time Shearer would have partnered Cantona in attack, he would have had Scholes,Keane,Beckham and Giggs behind him, it's a frightening thought as to what could have been and something United fans can only continue Speculating and debating about. What I will say is that I feel United would have had more success in Europe with Shearer in the team. 

One thing is worth bearing in mind, you could also say that if Shearer had signed then United would not have signed Ole Gunnar Solskjær that summer and that magnificent moment in the Nou Camp in 1999 would not have been written into the history books.

We would not have that spine tingling moment to relive when the commentator famously said "Beckham, into Sheringham, and Solskjær has won it" ! Quite possibly the only person deep down who regrets the move is Shearer himself, but would he ever actually admit that he was wrong to turn down Manchester United?

When asked by their grandchildren "what medals did you win?" Shearer will not take long rooting out his championship winning medal he won with Blackburn and explaining his answer. Where as on the other hand Solskjær will reply "how long have you got?" as he proceeds to open his treasure chest and explain the embarrassment of medals he won in a successful and illustrious career with the reds that earned him a legendary status.

Clown Blatter Should Leave The FIFA Circus

I was absolutely astonished and equally appalled at the comments made by the most powerful figure in football FIFA president Sepp Blatter on the subject of racism in the game, taking into consideration the recent serious racial accusations being made against Chelsea's John Terry and Liverpool's Luis Suarez.

The sensational comments were made by Blatter when he responded to a question asked by a CNN news presenter on the subject of racism in football by saying:


"I would deny it, There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that, he should say that this is a game". He continued to say "We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen. On the field of play sometimes you say something that is not very correct, but then at the end of the game you have the next game where you can behave better". He finished the interview by claiming that "During a match you may say something to somebody who is not exactly looking like you, But at the end... it's forgotten".

His comments have shaken the world of football all the way down to the foundations that the game is built upon. It's also a huge slap in the face for the football associations who put so much work into the "kick racism out of football" campaign. Personally when I first heard about the comments I thought that Blatter had been misquoted, how wrong was I when to my utter disbelief I watched the actual interview.

The best thing clown Blatter can do now is accept that his spell in charge of the FIFA circus is over after his controversial comments. The public outcry and backlash  is for him to hand in his resignation immediately but the worrying thing is that Blatter does not seem to think that he has spoken out of turn and that racial issues in football can simply be sorted by shaking hands at the end of the game? So Mr Blatter, when I go into work tomorrow in your opinion it is quite alright for me to racially abuse any of my work colleagues as long as I offer them my hand at the end of my working shift?

Blatter is no stranger to controversy and in the past has made comments that would see the average man suspended from work pending an enquiry. In 2004, the FIFA president said women players should "wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts... to create a more female aesthetic". His comments obviously won him no female support across the globe as he was labeled sexist.

When Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup recently he was asked about the illegality of homosexuality and responded saying "I would say they (gay fans) should refrain from any sexual activities". 

Blatter also sensationally claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was treated like a "slave" by Manchester United when the player wanted a move to Real Madrid, he said "I think in football there’s too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere".

Blatter stepping down from his powerful and lucrative position at FIFA seems the best option for him at the moment but don't expect for a single second that this will become a reality. It will be a big climb down for Blatter and will also show that he is admitting that his comments were wrong, following the interview he has since said that he has been "misunderstood". Maybe Blatter has accepted defeat in his world fight against racism in football and his ideal scenario to deal with any racial allegations is to shake hands on the matter?

Dimitar Is Guilty Of Being A Berbaflop

The rumour mill has started as we approach January and the latest player being linked with a move away from Manchester United is Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov who has attracted interest from clubs in France and Turkey.

The sulky Bulgarian moved to Manchester United on the 1st of September 2008, a transfer that cost the reds £30.75 million. At the time he joined United already had Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in the strikers department and many wondered why we actually needed a player of Berbatov's stature at the club. Ex players and pundits even made comparisons between the Bulgarian and United legend Eric Cantona. 

Berbatov should have taken United to a new level like Juan Sebastian Veron should have. Both players were signed for massive amounts of money and in my opinion have failed at a club they should have excelled at on the big stage.

I think supporters were a bit harsh in judging Berbatov against the performances of Rooney and Tevez who have completely different styles of play. Rooney and Tevez are similar, they can play upfront on their own and have a tenacious work ethic chasing down defenders and lost causes for ninety minutes. Berbatov is the complete opposite and I think it was unfair that in his first season in 2008 supporters were expecting Berbatov to change his style of play to be more like Rooney and Tevez.

The reality is that Berbatov has always come across as a sulky figure on the pitch who can produce moments of breathtaking skill in a split second if he feels like he can be bothered, and it is a bit unfair as Berbatov has always played the same way and supporters would have known this from his days at Tottenham before his move to Old Trafford.

Berbatov has been a bit like the luxury food item on your weekly shopping list. You are not sure if you actually need the item, but you buy it anyway. You are happy you made the purchase but looking back you think "did I actually need that"? Could you have survived without it? It basically flatters to deceive.

In Berbatov's defence he had his most productive season last year when United  claimed a record 19th league title ending up as both his club's and the league's most prolific scorer. The jury would probably argue that the goals he scored we're against the so called "bottom half" teams and that he never posed much of a threat in the big games against better opposition. Berbatov will be best remembered for his stunning hat trick against Liverpool last season in the premier league fixture at Old Trafford, you could also  argue that it was against a team who did not finish in the top and have lost their way.

If you could bottle up Berbatov you would definitely stick a marmite sticker on the front of it because supporters either love him or hate him. Berbatov can be simply breathtaking, unstoppable and play football from a different planet on his rare day, but can be equally as frustrating and disappointing, his body language also gives off the wrong impression and he has never really had a connection with the supporters who have been reluctant to sing his name.

We will not know know until January where Berbatov's future actually lies but I suspect that it will not be at the theatre of dreams. It leaves me asking the question, if the curtain does come down on his disappointing and lacklustre career with United ......... Will we remember him as Berbatov or Berbaflop ?

On the evidence that I have witnessed and taking into consideration the money United paid Tottenham for his services! and the countless number of big matches he went missing in I would have to say that i find Mr Berbatov guilty of being a flop and not displaying his natural talents on a consistent basis. Supporters will all obviously remember him for his beautiful elegant hat trick against Liverpool, but we should have had so many more great memories of his time at United especially when people claimed that he could be as important a player as Cantona was.

Parker Could Have Been Utd's New Keano

Manchester United  have been linked with many big name star's in my lifetime but one player I am surprised Sir Alex never showed a strong serious interest in is Tottenham's Scott Parker before he made his switch to White Hart lane in August this year. This is a player who was voted the football writer's player of the year award last season for his outstanding performances playing for West Ham who were relegated from the premier league.

I see so much of the same attributes in Scott Parker as i did when watching Man Utd legend Roy Keane. Both players play (or played in Keane's case) with their heart on their sleeve, always give 100% effort, are natural leaders on the field of play, and have a tenacious tough tackling style of play. Utd have never replaced Keane after he left the club under controversial circumstances in 2005 with a player that ticks all the boxes like Scott Parker does. 

Although at the time I subscribed to the fact that Utd did not need to replace Keane with a tough tackling central midfielder as the game has evolved and teams tend to use creative midfielders in the modern game, it does make me wonder just what Scott Parker could have done for Man Utd in a central role doing a job that Roy Keane did so successfully? And at £5.5 million it was hardly a financial risk to purchase a player who has proven premiership quality was it? The money that Tottenham paid West Ham to secure the services of Parker was a bargain In today's crazy transfer market.

If you look at Utd's current crop of central midfielders think to yourself who would Parker get in front of if Sir Alex had of brought him to Old Trafford?

Would you pick Parker ahead of £20.4million misfit Anderson?
Would you pick him ahead of Carrick?
Would you pick him ahead of Gibson?
Would you choose him ahead of Park?
Would you choose him ahead of Fletcher?
I am guessing that the running trend of the answers to them questions is "Yes"? With the exception of Cleverely, I would choose Parker over any other Central midfielder at Utd on current form.

Parker cold have filled a void left by the departed Roy Keane, he could have been the closest thing to replacing the Cork born Irish legend, but now I guess I can only speculate about what could have happened if Sir Alex had have showed an interest in Parker who I am sure would have been a sensation given the chance to pull on the red shirt at Old Trafford.