Our Academy is better, and has been for a fair while. However, I wouldn't expect the national papers to acknowledge this. The better quality young players that United have brought through recently have all been hooked from other clubs at the age of 16/17. They have hardly done that much to improve the players, they are simply buying top, young talent.

What went wrong EE!



I don't think United have figured out playing with Berbatov properly yet. I also get the impression that Fergie is planning for war RE Ronaldo and trying to figure out a way to play without him when he goes, be it this summer or next.

Apart from workrate, which as you say, is imperative for all the top teams, United's players are all comfortable on the ball (even O'Shea) and can slot in several positions. Apart from Berbatov probably. Wednesday is going to be fascinating - looking forward to seeing if Ibrahimovic is any better in the flesh than he is on TV.

Which is precisely why Blatter wants to impose nationaility restrictions to prevent the likes of United and Arsenal doing that. Chelsea do it as well but they usually pick up crap (hello Franco Di Santo), or at least, they have done.

Are clubs still hampered from recruiting players from outside a certain catchment area?

I think most people acknowledge City's Academy as being one of the best in respect of local/English talent.

The likes of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have simply got their foreign scouting network looking at youngsters as well as established players. When you think about it, they are a bit behind the times relative to Spain and Italy.

Unlike my dad, I refused to sell my soul. My dad was brought up in a Blue area too – Ardwick. I was very awkward and disagreeable. I will soon find out if it’s a trait that is in the genes.




TBF I think pretty much all of the first team players in the top 4 teams are comfortable with the ball. I wouldn’t say United’s players look more comfortable on the ball than those at Arsenal. However, West Brom’s players look comfortable on the ball but they are rubbish.

My opinion is that United and the rest of the top 4 are equally matched in pretty much all aspects of the game, but I think what has set them apart is the workrate.





We have signed two or three lads from the continent in the last few months. I’m not particularly happy about it but those clubs you listed above seem to have a majority of overseas players in the Academy.




I thought that there was some 60min or 90min rule. I’m not sure though – and I have too much on to bother Googling the answer)


Another thing that I find annoying at the moment is the number of overseas players in the lower leagues. I was watching a match the other week – a League One game – and a team had a Brazilian substitute goalkeeper. What a nonsense. So league 2 clubs have to go abroad to find players good enough to be on the bench?

I would imagine that comes down to the wages nthey command as well as transfer fees.

Look at the lower end of the SPL they have a fair amount of Europeans, I would wager the majority are from Eastern Europe too.

I'm not quite sure about that. The margins involved must be small, even for a lower league club. I just cannot imagine that there is a significant gulf between the wages paid to a homegrown player andthose paid to someone who comes fromn overseas. It's not as if many of these overseas players are any good. I have seen the equivalent and better playing in semi-pro.

Which brings me on to another issue:
5Live - always seem to have stupid debates and calls from the hand-wringing and guilt-ridden when I am cooking - are seemingly trying to encourage top-flight footballers and clubs to put their hands in their pockets to pay-off the debts of those lower league clubs close to financial ruin. Is it just me who has no sympathy for those clubs facing financial ruin?

The fans yes, the club no.

I'd go with:-

VDS
O'Shea
Rio
Vidic
Evra
Ronaldo
Scholes
Carrick
Park
Rooney
Tevez

The front two looked great on Saturday and should start together although I think SAF will leave Tevez on the bench and look to being him on if we are stuggling to break them down.

id go with that

i thought tevez had his best game last week for you

i hope he gets dropped for saturday tho

Can I assume you're listening to 'The Monday Night Club' with Mark 'Sanctimonious t**t' Saggers and his band of cronies? It's a good listen but only because of some of the crap they spout.

As for moribund clubs - I'm with Keith. I have some sympathy for the followers but not for the idiots in charge.

ferdinand set to play