Woes of trio fans

Lets look at the grievances being faced by the fans of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City. Each club steered by renowned  managers who have carved a niche for themselves in this competitive world of English football; Sir Alex, Wenger and Mancini respectively. Chelsea are also a competitive force in the premier league but i don't see their fans having to worry about much seeing what a wonderful setup they have got for themselves, all their fans have to do is keep their fingers crossed for trophies!

Manchester United:

19 times champions, recently featuring in every other champions league final, well u would expect the fans wouldn't have much to complain about. That is where your're mistaken, ManU is under a butt load of debt. And the annual  interest having to be paid is increasing every year because of the refinancing the Glazers did to shift the debt onto the club which they had taken to buy the red devils in the first place. So even though the red devils are the most profitable club right now, the debt is only ever going to increase unless the Glazers sell the club, which doesn't seem to be happening in the near future. But it hasn't stopped Alex Ferguson from splashing cash over this transfer window on the likes of  De Gea , Young etc. SO even though the burden of debt hangs upon Old Trafford, the ManU faithful can keep on basking in their success , for now.

Arsenal:

Poor poor gunners, empty trophy cabinet gathering dust in recent years. With money flowing into Manchester City and Chelsea in recent years, the gunners have been left to scavenge the left overs in the transfer market lately. With no luck in the transfer market this summer either.Wenger a shrewd operator in the transfer market but what can he do with the coffers depleted and his transfer kitty nowhere near his rivals ( specifically Mancini  and Andre Villas-Boas). So the gunner supporters look forward to another trophy less season. I know how frustrating it can be; with Wenger taking the brunt of the fans ire! Its a job i wouldn't wanna take! SO Arsenal really have to find their pot of gold; run to the end of a rainbow gunners run! Or else they could perhaps ask one man for his help, as for who that man is, follow this link and put two and two together (loads of money and doesn't know where to spend):

http://ghosttribune.blogspot.com/2011/07/billionare-makes-his-name-visible-from.html

Manchester City:

To put it simply, too much money, too many people influencing the manager, too many players they are interested in BUT only a select few willing to join! Those already there wanting out because of the competition for one place in the starting eleven is too much! Apart from being rebuffed by star players the city faithful don't have much to worry about. Last season finally they got their first trophy after decades and now this year it seems they are going to wrestle the red half of Manchester for the premier league title. As for money matters they are safe and sound, with their wealthy Arab Sheikh pumping black gold into the city coffers! So far he has invested over 1 billion pounds into the club! wow! And of course their recent 10 year deal with Etihad worth 400 million pounds their treasury is overflowing and as a result their fan following booming especially in the Arab world.

This is by no means a complete detailed analysis, it just touches the tip of the iceberg. With only a few weeks left for the new season to kick off we wait to see the teams head to head on the field.


By: Hammad Ali

Arsenal negotiating sale of Cesc - Guardiola

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed Arsenal have agreed to negotiate over the sale of Cesc Fabregas.

The Catalans have been hunting the Spain international midfielder for a number of years, having failed to land Fabregas last summer.

Arsenal were steadfast in the face of repeated efforts from Barca last summer and have maintained a similar stance this year.

Arsene Wenger has spoken of his confidence that Fabregas will stay at Emirates Stadium and Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood said on Tuesday that nothing had changed with regard to their captain.

However, Guardiola has countered those claims by stating the two clubs are talking about a transfer.

"This year Arsenal has agreed to negotiate and we are working on it," Guardiola said. "Barcelona has made an offer, Arsenal another and we have time until August 31. We will try to reach an agreement.

"There is a sum of money in the strongbox set aside for the signing. If it does not work out, it will be left in place for something else.

"Cesc will make us better, we're interested, but if it's not to be then maybe next year and we use the money for something else."

Source: www.msn.com

Hangzhou Greentown 1-1 Arsenal: Samir Nasri starts for Gunners as Carlos Vela scores again in pre-season draw

The Mexican striker levelled the game just before half-time, but a poor defensive showing costs Arsene Wenger's side in their second pre-season friendly in China.

Arsenal had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their second pre-season friendly after failing to overcome a battling Hangzhou Greentown side.

Hangzhou took advantage of a lapse in Arsene Wenger's defence with the hosts taking the lead from a messy set-piece.

The Gunners came back with one of their own just before half-time through Carlos Vela, but failed secure the win after a flurry of missed chances in the last 45 minutes.

The home side began the game positively, utilising the long-ball well up the field, forcing the Gunners’ goalkeeper Vito Mannone to pull off a save on the ground when one such pass found a striker in green.

Hangzhou channelled their attacking football to take the lead on 14 minutes. Mannone and his defence failed to deal with a free-kick deep into the Arsenal box, allowing Sebastian Vazquez to hit home easily past the grounded goalkeeper.

Samir Nasri came close to having the visitors' first real chance of the game 36 minutes in with a wild volley on the turn just outside the area, but the ambitious effort zipped past the wrong side of the post.

The north London outfit brought the game level after Andrey Arshavin lifted the ball into the box for Robin van Persie and although his immediate shot was saved by the stretching Hangzhou ‘keeper, Vela ran in just in time to poke the ball in on the rebound.

Arsene Wenger’s side had a chance to go 2-1 up just after the restart after a stinging shot from Aaron Ramsey was spilled towards the far post by the outstretched Gu Chao, but the ball dribbled across goal and was cleared efficiently by the Hangzhou defence.

Theo Walcott should have scored his second goal of pre-season after a double effort, but the young forward had his first effort saved and could only shoot over the bar on the next.

Arsenal went onto miss a handful of chances that could of won them the game and had to settle for the draw.

Source: www.goal.com

Manchester United top Forbes' rich list

Manchester United have been named the world's most valuable sports team, according to Forbes magazine's annual top 50 list.

United, who are currently touring the USA for their pre-season preparations, came top in the list with a value of £1.65 billion. The Red Devils have recently signed sponsorship deals with Aon and Nike worth around £380 million and have accumulated 333 million supporters across the globe.

Seven other football teams made the list, with Real Madrid (5th) and Arsenal (7th) in the top ten.

Despite owner Roman Abramovich's vast personal fortune, Chelsea only came 46th, while Bayern Munich (19th), AC Milan (34th) and Juventus (49th) also made appearances.

Barcelona - widely regarded as the best side in the world - came only 26th in the ranking as their debts held them back despite their worldwide appeal.

The Forbes Top Ten:

1. Manchester United £1.165bn 2. Dallas Cowboys £1.13bn 3. New York Yankees £1.06bn 4. Washington Redskins £960m 5. Real Madrid £900m 6. New England Patriots £850m 7. Arsenal £740m 8. New York Giants £734m 9. Houstan Texans £727m 10. New York Jets £708m.

Source: www.sport.uk.msn.com

Vieira quits for City role

Patrick Vieira has retired from football and taken on a role as football development executive at Manchester City.

Vieira, 35, joined City from Inter Milan in January 2010 to help provide leadership and experience, but his contract expired this summer.

He told the club's official website: "This role is a fantastic new challenge for me and I am very grateful to Manchester City for offering me this opportunity.

"I have a lot to learn about the non-playing areas of the business but there are many very experienced people here for me to learn from and I am confident that I can make a significant contribution to the club's ongoing success.

"I am particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to work with the club's community scheme.

"Everyone at Manchester City - the fans, the staff and the players - have made me and my family feel very welcome here over the past two years and I am very happy to have been given the chance to stay and develop my career away from the pitch."

Brian Marwood, City's chief operations officer, added: "Patrick is the ultimate professional and it is our very great privilege to introduce him as our new football development executive. His experience in the world of football is virtually unparalleled and he will be a huge asset to our club as old and young alike benefit from his knowledge.

"His contribution to world football during his time as a player was extraordinary and he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League. Whilst it is sad to see Patrick's playing career come to an end, we are delighted that he has chosen to extend his time with Manchester City in this new capacity."

Vieira enjoyed a glittering career for club and country. With Arsenal, he won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup four while, with Inter, he secured four Serie A titles. With France, he won the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000.

Source: www.soccernet.espn.go.com