Well, we know now that we've got to play until January with the players that we've got now. Looking at the squad now its pretty clear that its understrength and we needed Escude and a 4th striker. You can't just hope you don't get injuries, they do happen and size of squad is one of the key differentiating factors between the top teams and the also-rans.
I suspect that because we waited to sign Rio until after the WC he cost us a lot more than we expected, and that extra money would have gone on these positions. We ended up getting no one from Lazio to cancel the debt, and we've agreed to take the outstanding money over the course of a year even though they've now sold Nesta.
We may well get Escude and a 4th striker in January, but its going to be tough on the squad until then, with players playing out of position and a lack of options on the bench when a game needs shaking up. We're fortunate to have an easy CL draw, especially with Roy likely to be out for a while - but its the EPL where we're going to struggle with all these injuries and the lack of variety up front against packed defenses.
After such a calamitous season last time round, we all expected some serious strengthening - but that just didn't happen and I think we will now pay for that this season. Arsenal have come fast out of the blocks and shown they still look like Champions, and we don't. Real have added Ronaldo to make a real dream team, making them clear favourites for the CL trophy.
The best we can hope for this season is to establish a settled defense for the future, and to find a way to get the most out of our midfielders. Its going to be a tough season I think, and we're going to have to be humble at times and accept that we can't permanently win trophies every year and sometimes there is a need to rebuild a bit. I for one will never stop loving and supporting United as long as I breathe. As I said to a spurs fan recently, I'll support us through thick and thin, and he said, I've supported Spurs through thin and thin. We hate losing or even drawing, as we should, but we'll keep the Red Flag flying high. <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
I suspect that because we waited to sign Rio until after the WC he cost us a lot more than we expected, and that extra money would have gone on these positions. We ended up getting no one from Lazio to cancel the debt, and we've agreed to take the outstanding money over the course of a year even though they've now sold Nesta.
We may well get Escude and a 4th striker in January, but its going to be tough on the squad until then, with players playing out of position and a lack of options on the bench when a game needs shaking up. We're fortunate to have an easy CL draw, especially with Roy likely to be out for a while - but its the EPL where we're going to struggle with all these injuries and the lack of variety up front against packed defenses.
After such a calamitous season last time round, we all expected some serious strengthening - but that just didn't happen and I think we will now pay for that this season. Arsenal have come fast out of the blocks and shown they still look like Champions, and we don't. Real have added Ronaldo to make a real dream team, making them clear favourites for the CL trophy.
The best we can hope for this season is to establish a settled defense for the future, and to find a way to get the most out of our midfielders. Its going to be a tough season I think, and we're going to have to be humble at times and accept that we can't permanently win trophies every year and sometimes there is a need to rebuild a bit. I for one will never stop loving and supporting United as long as I breathe. As I said to a spurs fan recently, I'll support us through thick and thin, and he said, I've supported Spurs through thin and thin. We hate losing or even drawing, as we should, but we'll keep the Red Flag flying high. <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
