Sure as eggs is eggs, the start to this season was always going to be more difficult without the acquisition of a world class striker to fill the yawning gap left by Didier’s departure. Of course, much like that famous reference to a certain war in Fawlty Towers, mention was made of the problem as far back as last season, when I think we only just got away with it, but we should never have got ourselves into a situation in which, at the start of the next one, that deficiency is still to be addressed. Whether the party line reason be Financial Fair Play compliancy, or just downright complacency on the part of those who should know better, the fact remains that inaction has inflicted early flesh wounds points-wise in major competitions and they may, ultimately, prove fatal.

 

And egging this particular pudding further, it will also take a master chef to row back from gifting an albeit raw [but good] egg of a loanee named Lukaku to a Premiership outfit that’s going to be pretty tasty with him in it, especially served up alongside a three point aperitif. Okay, Jose Mourinho may yet complete recipes on all fronts without additional ingredients, but the early indications are, if Romelu was deemed surplus to requirements in the first place, his judgement is either unduly influenced by decision-making in other areas (too much inexperience in midfield to accommodate other youngsters elsewhere) or badly bruised by a Wayne Rooney saga that appears still to be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, not least if you are Portuguese and feel you have been somewhat led up the garden path throughout the whole affair.

 

For ‘affair’ is exactly what it is, even now, weeks after a steady drift into non-speaking terms territory. Because Rooney was the Chosen One and Jose had effectively put all his eggs in one basket by naming the Scouser as his only transfer target. Quite frankly, you do not do that sort of thing without encouragement, and by that I mean encouragement from ALL sides, including that broad church of much-vaunted ceremony, otherwise known as Old Trafford, where no transferred union with another top club has ever received a blessing. Moreover, the Daily Telegraph writer Jim White, a self-confessed United fan, has today referred to that club as ’the country’s most storied sporting institution’ in an article giving flesh to the bones of his belief that Rooney’s future intentions are ’far from cut and dried’ and advising other fans not to ’worry about the uncertainties of the future, just enjoy the present’.

 

The piece is well worth a read, for its honesty alone, and, if I’m going to be critical of it in any way, it is that it avoids the obvious conclusion, provided by its content, purely because it is unpalatable to the writer. Indeed, it is the same conclusion Jose came to some time ago and is one that sticks out a mile following the player’s post-match interview with ITV’s Gabriel Clarke on Tuesday night - Wayne Rooney, to all intents and purposes, should have everything he wants in football, yet the one thing he desires more than anything else (a move to Chelsea) is denied him by current circumstance. Whatever that ’circumstance’ may be, I’m sure it was once thought insufficient to prevent his transfer going through, of that Jose and the suits at the Bridge were all but convinced. Sadly, the invasive ’but’ grew out of all proportion as deadline day loomed and none of us is ever likely to know the true story now United have pulled up the drawbridge on any future deal.

 

Certainly, lessons must be learned in the wake of Wazza and appropriate steps taken to ensure that we are not left with egg on our face like this again. The proximate damage done is immediate and plain for all to see, whilst it will only be evident for others in the next transfer window. Sadly, there will be those who will recognise another [January] move as a mirror image of our previous pursuit of Torres, trashing the idea in the process, and undoubtedly so if it is to be for Wayne once more. However, the contrast is stark, the need greater and the battleground set by circumstance as yet unknown, but due to have light shed upon it by a Ferguson autobiography due out in October.

 

In the meantime, we have a few months to look for alternatives that are clearly thin on the ground and probably limited in scope to a field of one, namely Luis Suarez, the ultimate in bad eggs. Then again, after witnessing the expensive summer signings of Falcao, Cavani, Neymar and Higuain, one thing is for sure… the Chelsea eggers can no longer be choosers.

Nonetheless, Dorset, I'd rather have a no egg omelette than one with a Suarez egg in it.

Nonetheless, Dorset, I'd rather have a no egg omelette than one with a Suarez egg in it.

oh i don't know at least he's got bite!

This is exactly why I was so annoyed we didn't sign a top level striker in the summer. Yes, we got Eto'o, but I was thinking more along the lines of Rooney, Cavani or Falcao. Unfortunately we missed out on all three.

 

It should not have been so impossible for a club of our stature to attract a world class striker. I just felt very disappointed that come the end of the transfer window we were actually WORSE off than we were before it opened in a way, having inexplicably decided to loan out our best goalscorer and keep two inconsistent ones and one who is newly signed and unproven at Chelsea.

 

I just hope that come January we aren't bricking it and panic buying a striker for stupid money cos we're sitting outside the top four, as was the case with Torres.

No striker would flourish here. Drogba was an anomaly. Aside from 2 odd 30+ seasons. All others were sub 20. Big goals yes. Sheer amount? no. Everyone wants a 30+ goal scorer AND to score from nothing AND in big games.

But said players are in Spain. Just gonna have to make do with what we have.

I don't care what anyone says, Utd were NEVER going to let one of their main premiership rivals have Rooney.

 

If anyone even suggests starting another Rooney thread come the January window, when Utd will still be in the Champions League (and hopefully so will we!) and won't be letting any key players go  then they frankly need shooting.

If JM hadn't stopped Ba going on loan to Arsenal then big Rom would still be around. Now we'll have to see whether Jose can make an omelette out of a pig's ear.

I would have preferred a world class DM, a world class striker like Rooney instead of what we have now but you can't get everything you want.

As people say here we didn't fix the the problems we have and now we struggle with the exact same problems.

It takes time to really work but whose to say the changes in the midfield are going to fix our striking problem.

Id be satisfied if Torres got 10 premier league goals tbh.