Trash from Kevin Palmer

[Oblivion]

Chelsea Pensioners Club?

No mention of Zhirkov and Turnbull.

No mention of Franco getting significant playing time in pre-season

Makes us sound like Bolton to be honest.

[rahul]

There is an element of truth in that article to be honest. We haven't signed a single young player of top quality for the last few years. I agree that no team can dramatically reduce their squad age over one or two seasons but we've had about 3-4 years to do that now and we havnt done anything about it. Signing of Turnbull and Sturridge is a good step forward, but I dont think they fall into the world beater category.

[bjd]

I think that is a pretty good article. Nothing wrong in what he says really , it's all true, we have to be honest with ourselves. Only thing I don't agree with is where he says City have signed 'the top talent'

[Tim W]

Sadly it's true and when you remember Fergie blooded at least 6 youngsters last term and not just for 90 seconds at the end of a Carling cup game it makes you wonder what we're doing. And yes he sends kids out on loan too.

[dkw]

There is an element of truth in that article to be honest. We haven't signed a single young player of top quality for the last few years. I agree that no team can dramatically reduce their squad age over one or two seasons but we've had about 3-4 years to do that now and we havnt done anything about it. Signing of Turnbull and Sturridge is a good step forward, but I dont think they fall into the world beater category.

and what of zhirkov?

[rahul]

and what of zhirkov?

He is completely untested in a top league...and understandably I'm not over over the moon with our signings...zhirkov included.

[evissy]

It is true. We are old! Unhealthy way of building the squad. Actually we are not building the squad we are just maintaining it just like an old sports car.

I'm afraid we have too big emhasis on the CL. I mean Carlo won it with a very much ageing Milan team. You need experience in those games but you have to find the right balance. Fergie found it with young Rooney, Ronaldo and Vidic as their star players.

We need to buy players like we did with Robben,Kalou and Mikel young with lot of promise. No we have Deco and Ballack sitting in our bench making sure those type of guys have no chance of seeing match action on the pitch.

[PloKoon13]

It wasn't that bad an article.

It was pretty much accurate. The only sentence I had a problem with was:

the Blues finished the campaign with merely FA Cup winners medals.

Merely the FA Cup?

[TheWestwayWonder]

I had mixed feelings about that one when I read it yesterday. On one hand it is true, and at times almost complimentary.

On the other its in the same vein as this trash journalism which seems to know the explicit thoughts of Roman Abramovich. That paints the club hierarchy as a bunch of clueless babies who are constantly trying to attract the biggest name talent and constantly failing.

The one thing these articles ignore is that when we signed them, Ballack and Sheva were two of the names on most people's World XI. They havent been smashing successes, no, but it was clearly a case of financial muscle being flexed. Since that time, we have reverted back to the old class of signings. But everyone seems to think that we just cant attract top talent because we refuse to pay over the odds for it anymore.

f**king pisses me right off, actually. I counted the word 'snub' in explanation for Pirlo staying at milan and i DIDNT EVEN READ THE ARTICLE. The only way to shut these sh*t merchants up one and for all is to be sitting with the Lion's share of silverware at the end of the year

[TheWestwayWonder]

It wasn't that bad an article.

It was pretty much accurate. The only sentence I had a problem with was:

Merely the FA Cup?

Exactly. Every year, we have the possibility of winning 4 trophies. Coming very close in Europe, and winning the most prestigious domestic cup and suddenly its "....merely". Absolute garbage.

As Guus said, people that know football know the FA, and realize what it means, wherever they come from

[geezer]

It wasn't that bad an article.

It was pretty much accurate. The only sentence I had a problem with was:

Merely the FA Cup?

Whilst the gooners and scousers won merely nothing - again. And one of those teams has had predominantly 'kids' in their line up for the past 4 seasons where they've won - nothing.

[Lofty]

There are several threads where the age of our squad has been discussed. So by way of counterbalance, I thought I'd list the ages of the Man U squad as listed in the programme for tomorrow's game:

Ben Foster - 26

Van Der Sar - 38

Da Silva - 19

Gary Neville - 34

Wes Brown- 29

John O'Shea - 28

Rio Ferdinand - 30

Vidic - 27

Patrice Evra - 28

Johnny Evans - 21

Park - 28

Carrick - 28

Darren Fletcher - 25

Anderson - 21

Nani - 22

Scholes - 34

Valencia - 34

Rooney - 22

Giggs - 35

Berbartov - 28

Michael Owen - 29

Macheda - 17

Now that list includes 8 players aged 29 or older, among which are no less than 3 34 year olds, a 35 year old, and a 38 year old, and another 6 28 year olds. Of a total 22 players, only 5 are under 25. Which doesn't compare at all unfavourably with the age spread of our squad.

[Eggy McMuffin]

I don't mean to pick on your maths skills, but there's 6 under 25 there, but it's a good point :)

Edit - Oh and I'm sure Valencia is 24, not 34, which would make it 7 under 25

[Lofty]

My maths isn't so bad - it's my typing .. and then there's my eyesight ... and then ... f**k it's been a long day and it's only just gone 9:30.