The 4 Emotional Stages Which United Supporters Undergo When A New Kit Is Revealed

Another season, another kit. United have announced that the new kit will be revealed on the 7th of July. We've all seen the rumoured kit for next season and we're all disappointed. Whether we're reigning champions or whether we've finished 7th, United supporters always expect the best of everything. We expect the best transfers, we expect to have the best manager and we expect to have the best, or one of the best, kits. 

Let's face it, Nike have been poor in producing good looking home shirts for the past couple of seasons. The last kit which everyone liked was the 08/09 one. Nike also have a knack of making United's away shirt look better than the home one. Whether or not this is to intimidate opposition when we travel, who knows. Below I've compiled 4 emotional stages which every United supporter undergoes when a new kit is to be revealed. 

1. Denial

We deny the heck out of it. "I'm sure it's just a rival supporter trolling us". "Haha! No way would that be OUR kit!". Yes, this is what happens when the very first pictures of the new kit surface, usually a couple of months before the season ends.  We console ourselves with the thought that Nike couldn't possibly make a worse home kit than the one they made for the current season.

2. Anger

This stage usually involves all of us voicing our outrage about how we absolutely will not spend our hard earned money on another bad looking shirt. I mean, really now, what are the people at Nike thinking? If you're consoling yourself with the thought that maybe they're doing this with all the teams which they have shirt deals with, take a look at AS Roma's kit for next season. I would also like to know who at United is in charge of approving the new kit designs and if they need some help with their lack of ingenuity.

3. Preparation

All United supporters know this one all too well. We all think, "Maybe it isn't that bad at all. Maybe it looks different in reality. Maybe if I see it, and touch it, I'll like it better". We try to convince ourselves that maybe, just maybe the new home kit isn't that bad and that it will grow on us. We do have to watch our players play in it for the entire season so if they can grow into it, maybe we can too.

4. Acceptance

By now, we're all fed up. Once the new kit is launched, we see it at our local sporting goods store, we go into said store and have a proper good look at it. We touch it, feel it, see that club crest that we've all fallen in love with and then suddenly think, "Why not?". We end up buying it, we end up wearing it on the next match day and we end up being more proud than ever of our beloved team.

Have you reached the stage of acceptance yet? If you have, allow me to refresh your memory:

 Cheers :)

Five Reasons As To Why United Are Not The New Liverpool

I'm not going to talk about yesterday's defeat. After much ranting and raving on Twitter, I have moved on. What I am going to talk about is the fact that many people think that Manchester United are the new Liverpool. That isn't going to happen. Let me tell you why. 

1. Football Has Changed, A Lot

When Liverpool fell from grace, money in football had not yet fully developed. It was there, but it was not a serious matter. Inflation rates were not high at all. Most of all, club owners were not a greedy bunch, and they were not a particularly "rich" bunch either. Players did not move to clubs for the money, they moved because they liked the badge, and they wanted to play for the badge. However, the same cannot be said today. Money talks, and in the next transfer window, United will have money. If rumours are to be believed, David Moyes will have a budget of 200 million pounds. In addition to that, some of the senior players in the squad will be leaving, which frees up some nice wage packages.

2. The Glazers Won't Let United Fall From Grace

As I have stated above, money is important in football. I don't think you'll find many football owners who are greedier than the Glazers. United are a money making machine for them. What happens when the club starts falling apart? Sponsorship deals also fall apart. Ticket sales suddenly plummet. No European football, so that's no European exposure, no European sponsors. I honestly do believe that the stingy Glazers would rather invest in United so that the club can continue to make billions for them, rather than sell it at a cut price, watch the club rise from the ashes, and start to make money for someone else. We might see this investment in the next transfer window, and possibly the one after that.

3. United's Philosophy

There has always been a philosophy about the club, no United supporter can deny this. From the time that the club was established, it has always been, "Success, or nothing". Sir Matt Busby, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson, and the strew of fantastic players that this club has had since its inauguration have made sure that this philosophy has been set in stone. The fact that so many former great players and Sir Alex are still very much a part of the club means that it's hard to see United just suddenly stop achieving the club's philosophy. What Wayne Rooney said earlier this week, about this season being a one off, is true. It certainly will not get easier but this is as bad as it gets. I truly believe that. For no matter how loyal United are to the manager, Jose Mourinho has stated that at United, no one touches the manager, the club and the board still has the power to sack the manager if it needs to be done. David Moyes will be given another season or two at most, because he signed a six year contract, but if this continues he will get sacked. That's just it. There are so many great managers available at the moment, Jurgen Klopp being the one with the most impressive CV, so no, United will not suffer if they decide to sack David Moyes.

4. United's Good Youth Structure

Young players from all over the world still hold United's youth academy in very high regard, for if you are a product of the United Academy, you will undoubtedly have a future as a football player. The likes of Becks, Phil and Gary Neville, Giggsy, Scholesy, Robbie Savage, Paul Pogba, Adnan Januzaj to name a few, emerging from the academy has not hurt its reputation. Sir Alex worked his socks off to make sure that United's youth academy became one of the very best in England and that has not changed 21 years down the line. He also instilled a very clear philosophy for this world class youth system, "Our youth, are the club's future". A philosophy which remains today. 

5. It's One Bad Season

It's just one bad season for crying out loud. If United had 10 of these, in succession, then I would be able to look at you with a straight face and say, "Yeah, maybe United are the next Liverpool". You know what's even more sad? The Chelsea supporters that I have spoken to are convinced that United will be back, and some of our own supporters cannot even see that far ahead. Arsenal supporters have, of course, written us off for entire lifetimes because they're bitter that we've been winning things for the past 20 years and so now, they can have their fun. Liverpool supporters, well, they're Liverpool supporters. Anything that has to do with United failings makes them jump up and down like little girls on a sugar high. City supporters are obviously enjoying this but they, more than anyone, know that Manchester United never die.

United will never be able to replicate the success that Sir Alex brought to the club, so if that is what you're expecting, you're delusional. Every single thing from here on out is going to be a battle. Moyes will be given time, and money, so who knows if anything will change next season. What I do know, from this club's illustrious history and from this club's philosophy, is that United will be back.

Does David Moyes Need A Class of '14?

We all know the story about SAF's brilliant 'Class of '92'. After a host of successive defeats, Ferguson decided to introduce a crop of young players from the United youth team into the first team. He did this because he was all out of options and quite simply did not know how to rejuvenate the squad without breaking the bank. For those who may not know the story behind the 'Class of '92' or have not watched the documentary yet, here's an excerpt from SAF's autobiography: 

SAF felt that the time was right to introduce a young group of players which included Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, Butt, Phil Neville and a very raw and talented Robbie Savage, even though Savage failed to make any appearances for United and later moved to Crewe Alexandra. I'm sure many United supporters will remember Alan Hanson's famous quote in regards to this move by Ferguson, "You can't win anything with kids." SAF not only went on to win numerous trophies with these "kids" but he also built an entire empire stemming from their hard work and determination. All it took was for one man to believe in them and give them the motivation that they needed. This is when United's youth academy became famous for developing raw talent and for being one of the best academies in all of England.

I truly believe that David Moyes can do the same with the youth players that United have. United's youth academy has not faltered in the slightest and I do not see that changing for many years to come. There is enough raw talent in United's reserve team, as well as the various other youth teams, to keep us supplied for years.

The players who are on loan at the moment, namely Jesse Lingard and Nick Powell have been doing brilliantly for their loan clubs Birmingham and Wigan. Powell is only 18 years old and he does need to develop further but I've seen enough of Jesse Lingard, both in the reserves and on loan, to make me think that he's ready for first team action. Zaha and Januzaj are two players that Moyes needs to start playing more regularly. Zaha came to United under the premise that he would be playing regular first team football, and his sheer physical presence would not do the team any harm out on the wings, especially when he is expected to brush aside bulky defenders and get crosses into the box. Januzaj is such an amazing player with so much potential. His preferred role is the no.10 one but he's doing brilliantly as a winger right now. He can provide crosses which unlock defenses, something which none of United's current wingers, except Nani when he feels like it, can do. United obviously need a world class creative midfielder who Lingard and Powell can learn from, and I hope that we manage to tie up that signing soon. 

Other youth/ u21 players, Davide Petrucci (midfielder), Will Keane (striker), Ryan Tunnicliffe (midfielder) are all very promising players. Petrucci arrived at United when he was just 17 years old, he's now 21. A number of injuries had blighted his first couple of years with United but he looks to be kicking on since then. He has developed under the careful guidance of a host of United coaches and knows the club and it's philosophy very well. Will Keane picked up a horrendous injury after having the season of his life (2011/2012) during international duty with the England u19 squad that made him miss an entire season. He was promised a place in United's first team but his injury has pegged him back. He continues to work very hard to get to the level he was once at, and looks very much to be a natural goalscorer. Ryan Tunnicliffe is an exciting prospect, having been a great midfield partner for Pogba and Morrison. He's an all-round midfielder, which is always nice to hear and he can tackle!

There's an endless amount of youth talent that Moyes has at his hands, but he will also do well to assess whether they are truly ready for the big stage. We know that Moyes is not afraid to introduce youth into a first team squad, like he did with Rooney at Everton, but he might need just a little bit more time to get to know our youth players better, and he has already been doing that, having being spotted at the United u19s UEFA Youth League game tonight.

This might very well be the time to take a leap of faith. Clear out the deadwood and give our lads a chance. I'd rather lose with kids than lose with experienced players who are not of United calibre in the first place. You get the feeling that some of the senior players, Ferdinand for example, do not respect Moyes on the same level in which they respected SAF. These young players will give Moyes the respect he needs to drive this team forward and they'll be motivated to impress the world on one of the biggest stages in the world, Old Trafford.

Please Can We Not Blame Moyes?

I write this utterly disappointed and bewildered. United supporters, people who have supported this prestigious club for years have been nothing short of ridiculous this week amongst the chaos of the Wayne Rooney-Chelsea saga. I, for one, couldn't care less about what happens with Rooney because I trust that the club are doing everything they can to keep him happy, which as we all know from 2011 includes the issue of a new contract and more money. 

No, what I want to address is the fact that so many supporters have taken the word of Jose Mourinho and Chelsea above those of David Moyes and Manchester United. Yes, I understand that the club has not issued a statement regarding the issue but why should they? We all know that United only issue statements for important happenings at the club such as new sponsorship deals, new signings, Sir Alex's retirement, etc. Why would the club issue a statement about a wantaway striker? That is not United's style. United have always trusted the manager to deal with such issues in press conferences (pressers) and they continue to do so with David Moyes. Why should anything be different now that Sir Alex has retired? United are no Chelsea, issuing statements about issues which Mourinho is too scared to deal with himself during pressers.

David Moyes stated in his first presser that Rooney is not for sale, and that is the official word from both the club and manager and it is still unchanged thus far. Why should Moyes be reiterating his statement? That's rather embarrassing is it not? The bid has already been rejected, what more is there left to say? Yet tomorrow, at the presser, Moyes will be saying those very same words yet again "Wayne Rooney is not for sale." If Sir Alex had said those words, none of us would be doubting it. Why do we as supporters choose to believe something that a club like Chelsea has said over what United have said? It is appalling. It's much like believing everything that Manchester City say. Yes, Mourinho has stated that Rooney is Chelsea's only transfer target but, David Moyes has said that Rooney is not for sale, yet people choose to panic just because Mourinho said blah blah blah.

Rooney was supposedly upset by what Moyes said about him and supposedly said that he will not play second fiddle to Robin van Persie. I say supposedly because these are the words from the player's entourage, not the player himself and word is that he is feeling "angry and confused" which led to the utterly hilarious Twitter trend #ThingsThatAngerAndConfuseWayneRooney. The even more bizarre thing is that some of you think that United leaked the whole spectacle to the press which is laughable. It is quite clear that Rooney's entourage is responsible for this one. Now, Moyes' remark in black and white looks rather harsh but it was taken completely out of context. Here is what Moyes said in full, and you'll realise he, as a manager, has not said anything offensive at all and no insult was intended: "I think Wayne can play up top, he can play dropped in. Overall my thoughts on Wayne is he'll be key. If for any reason we had an injury to Robin we are going to need him. I want to be able to play the two of them, I want to be able to use Danny Welbeck and Chicharito as well." That is all that Moyes said and of course Rooney supposedly overreacted. If anyone should be lightly offended, it should be poor Chicharito! The lad has been loyal to United since day one but he has spent half of his brilliant 50 goal career on the bench. Come on now Rooney, get into shape and show us why you should be started ahead of the league's top goalscorer in the 2012/13 season instead of incessantly whining and flailing your arms about, something that you have become quite famous for.

Now, in terms of transfers, I do agree with the majority of you that things have been a downright mess but I don't agree that all of the blame should be placed on Moyes' shoulders. Let's chat about good ol' Thiago for a bit. Now I for one did not expect to see Thiago in a United shirt at the end of the whole debacle. All that the papers were ever reporting were that United were "in negotiations" with the player. No bid was reportedly placed remember. No one knows if this is fact or fiction. But, I can tell you this much, Thiago was waiting for Pep and Bayern to come calling, and they did. Within a couple of days the Thiago deal was tied up and he was off to Bayern. If he really wanted to play for United, there would be no issues, everything would have been sorted out within a week or so and he would be on his way to Old Trafford. No, Thiago was waiting for his beloved Pep with his shiny new club to come calling his name, because that is where he really wants to be. A day after this happened United placed a bid for good ol' Fabregas, a bid which has not been rejected yet. But alas! How did this ever become public knowledge?? I smell a rat at the club, and I'm not kidding (Sir Alex also suspects this by the way). United would never, ever leak such information to the press. Remember how The Independent leaked the news of SAF retiring? Did the club leak that too then? Why would they? A lot of you would like Moyes to be more public in his pursuit of new players, something which he has said he will not do, yet you all still hold out hope. The only times United have publicly courted a player (refer to RVP) is when they have been confident of signing that player. Do you really want Moyes to publicly court a player that he isn't even sure of signing? Didn't think so. It would make everyone at the club look like complete asses if the deal falls through (which happens more often than not).

In any case, whether there is or isn't a rat making the rounds at Old Trafford and opening their big trap to the press, the responsibility of transfers rests solely on Mr Ed Woodward's shoulders. Don't blame Moyes, I doubt he even knows what's going on in negotiations half the time. Yes, the manager is a part of the transfer process but usually only towards the end when personal/club terms are being agreed and the player is ready to put pen to paper. Mr Moyes at the moment is getting our current squad into shape in time for next season and that is his priority at the moment, not signings, that alone should be Mr Woodward's priority. Mr Woodward wants to write his name into United folklore with a big name transfer which is all well and good, but don't go and mess it up. Now it is too early to judge whether or not Mr Woodward is useless because there are still SIX weeks left until deadline day. The thing that every United supporter lacks, including myself, is patience. If we want something, we want it then and there. WE WANT TRANSFERS AND WE WANT THEM TOMORROW! Quite spoiled aren't we? 

The message that Sir Alex gave all United supporters during his retirement speech is "Your job now is to stand by our new manager!" Let us all not forget that and give Moyes our full support. He's only 3 weeks in managing one of the biggest clubs in the world, let's not make his job more difficult by blaming him for things that are not his fault.

Goodbye Sir Alex Ferguson

How can we possibly get through one of the saddest weeks in United's history? We can't. All we can do is bask in Sir Alex's glory that he has brought to United. It is not easy for me to type out this post but I know that it will make me feel a whole lot better.

The rumour broke out last night at approximately 23:00. Half an hour earlier, everyone on Twitter was talking about some big announcement that Manchester United were going to make soon. Some people were saying that a newspaper is going to break the story while others were saying that it will be an official club announcement. Rumours were flying around as to what it could be. A new player? A new club sponsor? Something about an IPO? New owners of the club hopefully? The sponsor rumour seemed to be the most likeliest. And then, as I was scrolling down reading all of these tweets, someone said "Could it be that Sir Alex is going to retire?" It could not possibly happen. Why just last week he was talking about making a big name signing. A couple of hours later, The Telegraph newspaper released the story "Sir Alex To Retire From Manchester United After 26 Years". At first no one believed it. Then people started panicking. Then I went to bed.

I awoke the next morning to the very loud vibration of my phone "The rumours are getting stronger :( " Delon, a friend of mine, was concerned. I assured him that they were just that, nothing more than rumours. He also informed me that a press conference will be held at 10am (9am for those who live in the UK) to confirm or deny the rumours. I told him to keep me informed because I had a lecture to go to. I had just sat down in my seat when my phone vibrated again...all Delon could say was "It's been confirmed :( " It felt unreal. I was numb. I of course could not concentrate on the rest of my lecture, I just knew that one of the footballing greats had left the most iconic club in the world.

I got back home to my laptop, flung it open because one of my other friends was also in need of comforting and a slew of tribute videos clogged my Twitter and Facebook timelines. As I watched them I could not hold back the tears, for how could a man this great not be immortal? The success that he has brought to my beloved club is unparalleled. He is known for being a winner, for being a fighter. His quotes about Liverpool, Newcastle and various managers are charismatic as well as hilarious. There's so much to say about him, about his successes, about his persona, all of which I will discuss in my next blog post titled "Thanks For The Memories Sir Alex"

Sunday will be his last game at Old Trafford and I am sure that all United supporters are going to be very emotional. Today is one of the saddest days that United supporters will ever know. However, whoever the next manager of United is, let us all give him our full support and not turn out to be another Chelsea. Sir Alex will be one of the club's directors and ambassadors. Yes, losing Sir Alex is hard, if we do not win any trophies next season that will be even more difficult but remember one thing if nothing at all, "We'll Keep The Red Flag Flying High, 'Cause Man United Will Never Die."

Our Toothless Wingers

United's wingers have been under scrutiny for the entirety of this season, and rightly so. They have not been strong at all even when they've been given the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Where did it all go wrong? From Best to Giggs to Cantona to Ronaldo, United's wingers have been known to strike fear into the hearts of defenders, and now, defenders swat them away as if they aren't even there.

Let's look at some overall season statistics. We'll start with the winger who's made the most appearances for United so far this season, Antonio Valencia:

Games started: 37
Goals scored: 2 (FA Cup & EPL)
Assists: 6

That is all the statistics you need to look at for a winger. To say that Valencia has been horrendous would be an understatement. I understand that he broke his ankle in the 2011/2012 season  and was out for 6 months but to perform so badly during an entire season whilst maybe 98% fit is inexcusable, especially when you're playing for one of the best clubs in the world.

From Valencia, it goes from bad to worse. Let's look at Ashley Young's stats:

Games started: 19
Goals scored: 0
Assists: 3

When I first saw the above stats, I thought that ESPN might have not realised that April Fools has passed. It was so shocking that I just stared blankly at the screen for about two minutes, for how could the stats of a WINGER be this bad? When United first bought Ashley Young in 2011, I was really excited because he was one if the best winger's in the league at the time but he has seriously underperformed during his stint at United and now I am questioning whether United would gain any profit from selling him at the end of this season.

United's best winger by far this season has been Luis Nani:

Games started: 11
Goals scored: 1
Assists: 2

Nani has the best games:goals ratio here. He has the undeniable ability to frustrate you and amaze you at the same time, with his subtle touches and strikes on goal (sometimes sailing way over the crossbar). Nani's only hindrance is that he is too inconsistent. He plays well in one game and is terrible in the next. He has been with United for 6 seasons now, and in 2 of those 6 seasons he was rated as being brilliant but he has faltered and gotten up only to falter again. It's frustrating for United supporters because we know that he has the potential to be one of the best wingers in the world, if only he were consistent. Ferguson criticised him earlier this season when we exited the Carling Cup for giving the ball away which let Chelsea score a late goal and knock United out. At the time I was shocked because I could not remember the last time Ferguson publicly called out a player for making a mistake in a match, but he was obviously very frustrated, and ever since then, Nani has not made many appearances for United.

With all that said and done, do you think that United should sell these wingers and get better ones or should we stick with what we've got and see how they do next season? Leave your comments in the box below or tweet to me @Chiara_MUFC

Appreciate The Players We Have

I know of a lot of United "supporters" on Twitter who continuously slag off some of our players. If they don't perform well in a single match, their head is instantly on the chopping block. What most of these "supporters" don't realise is how fortunate we are to have these players in our squad when they could have easily been in a rival team's one. 

What a lot of football supporters in general fail to realise is how long and arduous the transfer process actually is, and that's where David Gill comes in for United. When David Gill says that United are "looking at a player", he doesn't only mean that United are monitoring that player's progress but that they're also opening up lines of communication with that player's club and such if they haven't already so transfer processes sometimes start months in advance. 

There are basically 6 steps to a transfer process and I won't go into any boring details, I'll just list them quickly. 

1. A written offer has to be made and a fee for the player has to be agreed.

2. The player's personal terms have to be agreed (salary and sign-on fee).

3.  Bonuses and image rights for the player have to be agreed.

4. The player has to agree with the package that has been offered to him via his agent.

5. The agent's fees need to be agreed upon.

6. When the deal is done, the necessary documents need to be submitted to the relevant football authorities.

If you want to know more, you're welcome to read all the details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6314369.stm

Transfers can go really smoothly  and can get done within a couple of days or they can break down by the time clubs get to step 4 where the player is unhappy about the package which he has been offered and this is one of the main reasons that clubs often spend more than they were supposed to on a player. All the add-ons that is required to sign a player can also become a bit overwhelming for clubs and negotiations will again break down. Hence, there are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong when a club tries to sign a player, especially a player who is already one of the best.

This makes you realise how hard David Gill and other executives of the club actually work to ensure that transfer deals go through and get done, so be thankful for the players that we do have because United's executives worked really hard to get them in the first place.