THE BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE
“What would it take for Manchester United to run Chelsea close? ‘Sixty million pounds,’ snapped one frank character on the Premiership scene. A lot of cash may indeed have to be shovelled to fill in the gulf between the champions. Jose Mourinho's team were always expected to hold on to the title but it is disastrous for the reputation of English football if there are to be no hours of doubt or misery for the manager.
“No other major league in Europe is so tame as the Premiership, where Chelsea savour a nine-point lead. Even in Italy, where Juventus have a perfect record, the Milan clubs will probably maintain the pursuit with conviction and hope. There are no signs of a gripping outcome to the Premiership and the worth of the next television deal rests at present on the value of such sub-plots as Spurs' wager on the potential of young players, Wigan's scamper up the table and the franking of Stuart Pearce's personality on to Manchester City. Few viewers will subscribe purely to watch imperial Chelsea's advance on the trophy.
“There may be no available equivalent to Roman Abramovich's billions, but the lack of even a token reaction to the Stamford Bridge domination is perplexing. Manchester United, after all, are one of the very few clubs on earth who should have the capacity to wage war on him.
"Malcolm Glazer's thought processes are obscure and he so far seems to have spent £790m on a takeover that will merely keep the club jogging along among the also-rans. The septuagenarian shoulders the burden of the interest payments on the immense sums he has borrowed, but unless he can afford to develop the football team at Old Trafford he will never enjoy the profits he dreamed of when committing himself to this whole enterprise.
"Malcolm Glazer's thought processes are obscure and he so far seems to have spent £790m on a takeover that will merely keep the club jogging along among the also-rans. The septuagenarian shoulders the burden of the interest payments on the immense sums he has borrowed, but unless he can afford to develop the football team at Old Trafford he will never enjoy the profits he dreamed of when committing himself to this whole enterprise.
“There were several reasons for Sir Alex Ferguson to view the arrival of Glazer with equanimity and even, perhaps, with a discreet satisfaction. The major Irish shareholders who were opposed to him had accepted the Glazer bid and laid down their animosity. In addition, Ferguson hoped for a bristling American boldness to counter Abramovich. He has been severely disappointed. It is hilarious now to think back to the period when people protested that annual transfer budget would be capped at ‘just’ £25m. If only.
“Ferguson did spend this season's money a year early because he could not afford to lose out on Wayne Rooney, but with the club under new ownership the manager must have supposed he would enjoy a fresh start. Instead the Scot is probably having flashbacks to the East Stirling days. In the closing phase of his career, it appears that money once again has to be raised before it can be spent.
"There has been nothing more than sensible investments in Park Ji-sung and Edwin van der Sar, with the deals covered by this year's sales of Eric Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson and Phil Neville. Ferguson, conscious of a thin squad, is sounding downbeat about the Premiership prospects. If Glazer does have a plan, and the means, for world domination he can only be saving it for the next United manager.”