United are flying Van Nistelrooy, Scholes, Silvestre and Saha to America, despite Fergie’s expressed wish that they rest after Euro 2004, to satisfy American sports fans. Apparently the privilege of watching promising young players make their debuts for United (one denied to any English fan without the means and time to ‘haul ass’ over to the states) was not enough for the xxxxl shirt wearing, burger munching, Jerry Springer contingent who booed them off the pitch after the Bayern match. A glorious start to a United career if ever there was one.
Fergie does not sound too happy about the situation, "I have had to do this reluctantly. But we have suffered a lot of criticism because of the team we played against Bayern Munich.
"We made a big impact in America last year on tour and we want to enhance that. We will be bringing out Silvestre and Scholes for the game against AC Milan in New York. I understand the public want to see the stars and we do not want them to feel as if we take that lightly.
"I had left those players at home to give them a rest after Euro 2004 and others out here have had injuries, but I do not think the American public have appreciated that situation.
"We have had to take this step now for the sake of our reputation in the States. Last year we captured a lot of people's minds with our football and we do not now want them to think we take them for granted."
So by bowing to an ignorant American public we are now forced to abandon the pre-season plan to rest key players, and Fergie now tells us that he may have to rest the big guns for the Community Shield.
"The key game really is what kind of team I have got to play against Arsenal. It depends on whether we get a Tuesday or a Wednesday game in the Champions League. That will be crucial.
"If it is a Tuesday game, I would certainly not play a lot of the first team players in the Arsenal game. I would be sure I was protecting the team for Tuesday. A Wednesday game is different.''
Not that we are big fans of the Community Shield here at Red Issue, the dropping of the Charity element to it is indicative of the greed running throughout the game as it is now no more than another money-spinning rip off for the FA. Despite this, we go anyway, and now will have to watch an utterly under strength side because Americans don’t ‘get soccer’. Not that it really matters too much, because we’ll support them anyway – United don’t need to protect their reputation with us, it has been mud for years and they know that no matter what, we’ll still be attending matches.
But it certainly grates that once again the loyal support suffers as the club chase mythical money around foreign shores, where loyalty doesn’t even extend to supporting the players of the future and putting the club’s chances next season before the desire to see Ruud and Giggsy.
Rant over. Does anyone else hate what football has become?