David Moyes deserves a shot at redemption

There seemed to be an attempt to re-brand yesterday's Manchester United v Everton game as the "Davie Moyes Derby."

A re-branding exercise that dripped with sarcasm.

A new conventional wisdom is popping up that places Manchester United's decision to appoint Moyes as a catastrophic error not just in hindsight but because they should have been able to see that he'd been a crap at Everton in the first place.

There's a harsh revisionism of his achievements taking place that is really not deserved.

His season at United was a disaster.

Can't argue with that. Sir Alex Ferguson's perception of his own powers extended to the rewriting of history. I think he'd almost begun to see Manchester United as a gift passed from Sir Matt Busby to him.

Forget the years of failure in between. One canny Scot to another canny Scot. Where else do you turn but another canny Scot?

That the Scot in question was likely to be so respectful that he wouldn't question the glaring gaps in Ferguson's legacy was probably even better.

Or maybe Ferguson's humility - admittedly a little seen humility - kicked in. Maybe he really didn't realise that it was basically his influence that carried United to his last title and he thought Moyes could pick up where he left off.

Moyes couldn't. And he faced a double whammy: United fans used to success were bereft and fans of every other club, so used to United's success, were gleeful.

Moyes seemed unable to grow in the role and United - dazed and confused at the loss of Ferguson - seemed to suffer a collective collapse of confidence.

The players didn't like what they were seeing, the season drifted away and Moyes looked ever more haunted on the touchline.

United were forced to act. Moyes was sacked. And that simply confirmed the idea that had grown over the season that Manchester United were particularly stupid for listening to an out of touch Ferguson and giving the job to a hapless managerial Inspector Clouseau.

Which, as Daniel Taylor pointed out over the weekend, left Moyes dealing with both the biggest catastrophe of his career (as a manager, I well remember him losing the 1991 League Cup to Hibs as a Dunfermline player) and the stigma that everything he'd achieved in his career up to that point was a mirage anyway.

Sir Alex Ferguson's place in the pantheon of managers will be debated for a long time. But we can say that his was a unique career in its longevity and because it spanned football's transformation into a multi-billion pound global entertainment industry.

A hard to act to follow. United need a giant personality, Moyes isn't that. Louis van Gaal could be but even he might currently attest that it's not the easiest gig in the world.

David Moyes would probably never need to work again. No financial issues there and who needs the stress?

But he surely work again. There must be chairmen and chief executives in England and elsewhere looking at his work with Everton and wondering if he could do the same for them. If he wants to go through it all again he probably could.

He might not want to. But it would seem unduly harsh if his dream job turning into a nightmare means he never gets another chance.

David Moyes: 100 days of solitude

An American president is said to be at his most powerful in the first hundred days of his presidency.

Get it wrong in those opening few weeks and he - so far it's always been he - is unlikely to ever be trusted to get it right.

Even in the increasingly twitchy world of football it would seem harsh to judge managers by the same timescale.

It happens though. And many minds will have been made up about David Moyes as Manchester United manager even before he passed one hundred days in charge last week.

The international break might have allowed Moyes a period of reflection last week.

United got through another test at Sunderland, perhaps uncovering a new star in the process.

That brought down the curtain on a couple of months where iffy form segued with an apparently cack-handed approach to the transfer window.

Replacing Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to be easy.

When United appointed Ferguson all those years ago they thought they'd finally found the heir to Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein.

When they appointed Moyes this summer they hoped they'd found the heir to the heir.

It took Ferguson time to find his feet. Moyes won't have that luxury.

Not only has the game moved on and the fevered press grown worse but Moyes inherited champions. His job was to build on success not to rip everything up and rebuild from scratch.

That's perhaps a bit unfair. Ferguson's final championship wasn't delivered by his finest side. While he didn't sell Moyes a stuttering jalopy, he did leave a motor that needed some attention.

Moyes has quickly discovered that patching up a second hand football team isn't as easy as identifying what spare parts you need and visiting onlinecarparts.co.uk to get the problem car sorted.

This first post-Ferguson summer made the release of David Peace's Red or Dead, a fictionalised account of Bill Shankly's reign at Liverpool and his apparently melancholic retirement, seem even more timely.

(It's certainly written in a unique style but I felt that was essential for building the "Shankly" Peace wanted to create. For those of us who know Shankly only through the soundbites, the achievements and the second hand memories that fictional version seems somehow real. My own view is that the book is a triumph. And here endeth the sub-Higher English literary criticism.)

By calling it quits and then talking about how he's embracing retirement and leaving the new man to it at Old Trafford, Ferguson's desire to avoid the various fates of Stein, Busby and Shankly seems almost too conspicuous at times.

Shankly left Liverpool to a reluctant but incredibly successful Bob Paisley. Busby left Manchester United to a succession of men who couldn't match him until Ferguson - and a patient board - came along to get it right.

100 days of David Moyes isn't enough time to decide whether United have made a huge mistake this time.

He could argue that he's six points off the top of the league, undefeated in the Champions League and enjoying the performances of a restored Wayne Rooney.

All true. None of it enough.

He can't do anything about the transfer window right now but he needs to follow the international break with a sustained run of wins.

Getting Adnan Januzaj tied to a longer deal would also be a sound move - as a player he offers only potential but his capture would at least be a signal of intent.

Above all - and this will only come with wins - he needs to move the story on from his ability to do the job.

In the past couple of weeks I've read Moyes defending himself, Ryan Giggs defending him, Alex Ferguson defending him, Dion Dublin defending him and Luis Saha defending him.

That's an awful lot of David Moyes. And I'm not sure continually protesting that someone is the right man for the job is the best way to convince people that someone actually is the right man for the job.

It could be, after a successful few seasons, that we look back on Moyes' first hundred days as the weakest period of his reign.

That would be understandable. The pressure of replacing Ferguson, a new chief executive further complicating the transfer window, players adjusting to the day after the knight.

But Moyes needs to recover - at least in the short term - with a team that so far hasn't looked strong enough to cope with the biggest challenges.

After 11 games in charge Moyes might reflect on a few things.

Firstly, he might ponder, the first 11 games are hardly enough of a window in which to draw conclusions about a manager.

Secondly, he might worry, the first 11 games have undoubtedly made his dream job even tougher than he might have imagined.

Thirdly, he could think, the first 11 games better not be fodder for another David Peace book. Because nobody wants to provide the sequel for the Damned United.

England: 20 years of riches

It's 20 years now since football started.

That seems to be the unspoken claim amid the marketing hype marking two decades of the English Premier League and TV revolution ushered in by Rupert Murdoch's Sky.

While the English top flight celebrates like history never existed before 1992, our own game is down in the dumps, mired in debt, penury and recrimination.

So here's a timely infographic looking at turnover, debt and income in the English Premier League.

Interesting stuff.

Full size

Infographic courtesy: www.trophystore.co.uk

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St Johnstone v Aberdeen and 126 Alex Fergusons

Monday night football.

When I was a slip of lad approaching drinking age Monday night football used to be a thing of wonder.

(Drinking age, kids, used to be more of a general guide than a rule. Don't live as I lived. It's bad for you.)

We'd gather around what we then thought were big screens and be stunned as Newcastle and Liverpool served up seven goal thrillers and Sky's hype levels left our skies and bothered Martian moons.

Now we get St Johnstone v Aberdeen.

Not to knock the Saints and the Dons. But it's a fair sign that Monday night on the TV ain't what it once was. And it's SPL fans that are suffering.

An intriguing match though. Aberdeen, without kicking a ball, find themselves joint bottom of the league.

St Johnstone welcome a new era in the shape of manager Steve Lomas and chairman Steve Brown.

Both have shadows to escape. For Lomas it is the plaudit winning reigns of first Owen Coyle and then, seamlessly, Derek McInnes. Steve Brown has to prove that he's both his own man and capable of running as steady a ship as his father.

A leap into the unknown? Perhaps.

But a reasonable legacy to inherit. Widely regarded as a well-run club, a reputation for embracing ambitious young managers. And fourth in the league.

Lucky Lomas.

And unlucky Craig Brown?

Possibly. But probably not. Dunfermline and Inverness winning at the weekend weren't part of Aberdeen's grand plan.

Wins against Dunfermline - never a bad thing to be beating the teams around you in the league - and Dundee United pointed to a revival before the cruel mistress of the fixture list threw up an Old Firm double header.

Tonight offers Aberdeen the chance to get back on track. Which I expect they will sort of manage with a draw.

How much is one Sir Alex Ferguson worth? Part Three

The 10 SPL clubs in action over the weekend threw up 105 managers in the time that Sir Alex Ferguson has reigned supreme at Old Trafford.

It's fitting that we end this experiment of adopting Alex Ferguson as an international unit of measurement with tonight's game.

Aberdeen are the club he left in 1986. Did he leave them bereft? It's been a long, twisting and often tortuous road since he took his leave.

Now they seek succour in the only SPL manager older than Ferguson.

And St Johnstone welcome the newest member of the SPL managerial pack.

The new reality dictates that if Steve Lomas is a tenth as successful as Ferguson he won't stay at St Johnstone for more than a season or two.

25 years on and we inhabit a different world.

St Johnstone

Then: Ian Gibson
Now: Steve Lomas

In between: Alex Totten, John McClelland, Paul Sturrock, Sandy Clark, Billy Stark, John Connolly, Owen Coyle, Derek McInnes

Total: 10

Aberdeen

Then: situation vacant
Now: Craig Brown

In between: Ian Porterfield, Jocky Scott, Alex Smith, Willie Miller, Roy Aitken, Alex Miller, Ebbe Skovdahl, Steve Paterson, Jimmy Calderwood, Mark McGhee

Total: 11

Despite a determined effort by Hibs to screw up my calculations I can now reveal that:

One Sir Alex Ferguson equals 126 Scottish club managers.

Abacus breaking stuff.

SPL: Motherwell v Celtic

Agog today for the SPL's biggest game since the last big game.

Motherwell v Celtic.

If you'd said in July that third placed Celtic would need a November win to move ahead of second placed Motherwell on goal difference we probably wouldn't have believed you.

But such seismic events often only need the collision of one or two factors. In this case Motherwell have been consistently impressive and Celtic have been consistently incompetent.

By my reckoning Motherwell have used 17 players in the SPL this season. Six of them have played every minute of every game.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Celtic have used 25. Only one player has played every game.

Injuries, loss of form, tinkering, suspensions. Difficult to build momentum amid such upheaval. A dose of bad luck and a measure of bad judgement. Neil Lennon sees the problems but struggles to find solutions. That inevitably leads to questions about him and his coaching team.

Celtic could lose today and still - under Lennon or an as yet unidentified saviour - finish second. At a push - helped perhaps by shenanigans of a financial bent - they could lose today and win the title.

Life would be far easier for all at Celtic Park if those theories weren't put to the test.

Can they overcome McCall's miracle and assert their normal authority?

Maybe. Maybe not.

They were impressive in blitzing Hibs in the second half of their league cup clash at Easter Road.

But they were woeful in that first half in Edinburgh and hardly better over 90 minutes against Hibs in Glasgow.

They again overcame an early setback to dispatch Rennes in the Europa League on Thursday.

But these slow starts are unbecoming in a team of Celtic's ambition. They point to a side at odds with itself, uncomfortable in recognising what is expected of them.

And now I've fallen into the miserable trap of focusing on the Old Firm team and ignoring the achievement of Motherwell.

Motherwell aren't supposed to have played a third of their season and be in second place.

It's not how it works. So offensive is it to the normal way of things that we disregard their efforts and look instead at the failures of others.

That's the SPL way.

Consistency of selection, tight unit, good football and the confidence that comes from winning.

Spirit enough to snatch a win from 2-1 down inside the last 15 minutes to win away at Inverness last week.

Spirit enough to take 13 points from 15 since a 4-0 defeat to Celtic, a 3-0 loss to St Johnstone and league cup exit to Hibs suggested the wheels had come off.

They got their revenge against Hibs in one of the most one-sided 1-0 victories you will ever see. A performance of such dominance it suggested that, if nothing else, McCall has built a side well capable of rising above the flotsam and jetsam of the SPL.

And now a win today would open a six point gap between second and third that even Celtic's game in hand won't be able to bridge.

Champion's League chat at Fir Park is wildly premature. But it's fun. And they'll want the fun to continue for as long as possible.

Today gives Motherwell a chance to sustain the dream.

It says much about the fluctuating fortunes of these two sides that I'm finding this one impossible to call today.

How much is one Sir Alex Ferguson worth? Part Two

The eight SPL teams in action yesterday have got through 81 managers between them since Alex Ferguson arrived at Manchester United.

How many will Motherwell and Celtic add to the total?

Motherwell

Now: Stuart McCall
Then: Tommy McLean

In between: Alex McLeish, Harri Kampman, Billy Davies, Eric Black, Terry Butcher, Maurice Malpas, Mark McGhee, Jim Gannon, Craig Brown

Total: 11

Celtic

Now: Neil Lennon
Then: David Hay

In between: Billy McNeil, Liam Brady, Lou Macari, Tommy Burns, Wim Jansen, Josef Venglos, John Barnes, Kenny Dalglish, Martin O'Neill, Gordon Strachan, Tony Mowbray

Total: 13

So, from the five SPL games played across Saturday and Sunday, the mathematical evidence tells us that:

One Sir Alex Ferguson equals 105 Scottish club managers.

Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011

SPL: Since Alex Ferguson Said Goodbye

Four games in the SPL today.

But I'm distracted by Sir Alex Ferguson's upcoming 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United. A phenomena. From Govan.

The SPL didn't even exist 25 years ago. We must have had football though, whatever they try and tell us.

Must have had it because I'm sure Alex Ferguson left a top flight Scottish club to take over a top flight English club 25 years ago.

But how could he have? Because football didn't exist in England 25 years ago either.

It's all very confusing.

Anyway, to celebrate here's today's match previews abbreviated to a Fergie-friendly 25 words.

Hibs v Dunfermline

Puzzlingly enigmatic riddlers clash with the plummeting new kids on the block. Hibs look to turn a corner, Dunfermline to find a parachute. Home win.

Kilmarnock v Inverness

Bruised but victorious at Tynecastle, Kilmarnock host table propping Highlanders. Can they pass Butcher’s boys to destruction? Intense Shiels stares down angry Terry. Home win.

Rangers v Dundee United

Table topping despite titillating with slow moving financial tease, Rangers try denying Celtic the oxygen of hope. Can redeemed Houston inspire tangerine heroics? Home win.

St Mirren v Hearts

Unpaid, overpaid, out of here? Visitors seek Paisley sanctuary as hosts hold tight to Lennon’s football karma. Goal gluttony afficianados should gawp elsewhere. (Tight) Draw.

How much is one Sir Alex Ferguson worth? Part One

Stability, wisdom has it, is the key to football success. Exhibit A is Sir Alex Ferguson himself.

Armed only with a bargain from Leeds and an Australian media tycoon with deep pockets he invented soccer as we know it. Or something.

Not every club is so lucky.

Here's a look at a quarter of a century on the merry managerial carousel endured by the eight clubs involved in SPL action today.

Hibs

Then: John Blackley
Now: Colin Calderwood

In between: Alex Miller, Jocky Scott (sustained run as caretaker), Jim Duffy, Alex McLeish, Franck Sauzee, Bobby Williamson, Tony Mowbray, John Collins, Mixu Patalainen, John Hughes

Total: 12

Dunfermline

Then: Jim Leishman
Now: Kenny McIntyre

In between: Iain Munro, Jocky Scott, Bert Paton, Dick Campbell, Jimmy Calderwood, David Hay, Jim Leishman, Stephen Kenny

Total: 9

Kilmarnock

Then: Eddie Morrison
Now: Kenny Shiels

In between: Jim Fleeting, Tommy Burns, Alex Totten, Bobby Williamson, Jim Jefferies, Jimmy Calderwood, Mixu Paatelainen

Total: 9

Inverness

Then: not a Scottish League side
Now: Terry Butcher

In between (since joining SFL in 1994): Sergei Baltacha, Steve Paterson, John Robertson, Craig Brewster, Charlie Christie, Craig Brewster

Total: 7

Rangers

Then: Graeme Souness
Now: Ally McCoist

In between: Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen, Walter Smith

Total: 7

Dundee United

Then: Jim McLean
Now: Peter Houston

In between: Ivan Golac, Billy Kirkwood, Tommy McLean, Paul Sturrock, Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm, Craig Levein

Total: 11

St Mirren

Then: Alex Miller
Now: Danny Lennon

In between: Alex Smith, Tony Fitzpatrick, David Hay, Jimmy Bone, Tony Fitzpatrick, Tom Hendrie, John Coughlin, Gus MacPherson

Total: 10

Hearts

Then: Alex Macdonald
Now: Paulo Sergio

In between: Sandy Jardine (co-manager), Joe Jordan, Sandy Clark, Tommy McLean, Jim Jefferies, Craig Levein, John Robertson, George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas, Anatoly Korobocha, Stephen Frail, Csaba Lazlo, Jim Jefferies (includes caretakers who were in charge for a month or more)

Total: 16

Conclusion based on the eight SPL games being played today:

One Sir Alex Ferguson equals 81 Scottish club managers.

Science says so.

Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011

Champions League Test

Roped once more into acting as question setter as a local hostelry puts on a themed quiz.

Tonight's theme is Edward Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

No, I jest.

It's the Champions League as Barcelona and Manchester United go head to head in the final.

15 questions on each team. I think this one is a bit easy but see how you get on.

Want to do it for real?

Send in your answers.

Top entry received by next Saturday at noon will win a second hand copy of Martin Waddell's Napper Goes for Goal.

Cosmic.

Manchester United

1. Who did Manchester United beat in the semi final of the 1968 European Cup?

2. United beat Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final, at what stadium was the game played?

3. Who finished this season as Manchester United's top scorer in the league?

4. Sir Matt Busby only played for one professional side in Scotland, who were they?

5. Who scored the goals when Manchester United won the 1999 Champions League?

6. How many English league titles have United won since Alex Ferguson became manager?

7. What was the aggregate score in Manchester United's semi-final over Schalke this season?

8. Jim Leighton was dropped before the 1990 FA Cup replay. Which goalkeeper replaced him?

9. Who is Manchester United's top scorer in this season's Champions League?

10. In 1966 George Best scored two goals in a European Cup quarter final match against which team?

11. Which player has been Manchester United's first choice captain this season?

12. In what season did Ryan Giggs make his Manchester United debut?

13. Ryan Giggs has made more appearances for Manchester United than any other player. Which player has made the second most appearances for the club?

14. Which famous United striker missed out on the 1968 European Cup final with a knee injury?

15. Who scored United's goal in the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea?

Barcelona

1. Which Barcelona player is this season's top scorer in the Champions League?

2. Barcelona won their first European Cup in 1992. Who was their manager?

3. At which stadium did Barcelona win their first European Cup in 1992?

4. Including this year, how many Spanish league titles have Barcelona won in a row?

5. Two of Barcelona's current squad have made over 500 appearances for the club. Name them.

6. In 2009 Barcelona broke their transfer record to sign which player?

7. Barcelona played Hibs in the 1960/61 Fairs Cup. What was the aggregate score?

8. In final of the 2008/09 Champions League Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0. Which players scored the goals?

9. Which club are Barcelona's local derby rivals?

10. Who was the last English manager of Barcelona?

11. In 1986 Barcelona signed which Manchester United player?

12. Which current Barcelona defender began his professional career at Manchester United?

13. Who did current boss Pep Guardiola replace as Barcelona manager?

14. What nationality is Barcelona full back Dani Alves?

15. Lionel Messi has made 54 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this season. How many goals has he scored so far?

Champions League: Manchester United v Barcelona

The Champions League.

The tournament that best sums up all that is wrong about European club football. A grotesquely bloated monument to football's greed, its fiscal deities.

Yet still oddly compelling.

And tonight it reaches its climax. Wembley plays hosts to an unfettered orgy celebrating UEFA's money making fetish.

But also, we hope, a memorable game of football.

We have the favourites, Barcelona, considered by some to be the greatest club team ever to play the game, perhaps even thought of as the natural holders of this trophy.

And we have Manchester United. The worst United side for years we've been told. In Alex Ferguson an emperor whose wardrobe was not so much in transition as empty. How he's revelled in that nakedness.

A nineteenth English league title delivered with a nine point cushion. And a third Champions League final in four years. It's certainly a different way to measure footballing inferiority.

It's clear though that United have lacked fluidity, perhaps missed the je ne sais quoi of the real greats, at times this season.

We've seen that in both results and in Ferguson's continued retreats into the siege mentality tricks that have served him so well through years.

Pretty? Not always. Effective? 19 titles tell their own story.

A word here on Ferguson and the press. Does he treat the BBC well? No. Was he at his petulant, bullying worst when caught suggesting a journalist should be denied access to a future press conference after having temerity to mention Ryan Giggs? Yes.

Does any of this help Ferguson's image? Absolutely not. For a man to have achieved so much and still indulge in such pettiness is a shame, even if much of the hysterical outrage it provokes is engineered by people who just don't like United.

Don't let the press skip lightly off the hook though. They play Ferguson's game because too many football journalists have been reduced to filling the role of the simple inhouse scribe to the game's 24 hour media circus.

Argue, provoke or, in some cases, have the temerity to tell the truth and access will be denied. And access is all.

It's not a healthy relationship and it doesn't lead to great journalism. But Ferguson's behaviour is a symptom of that environment not its cause.

I read somewhere the other day that to deny a journalist access to a press conference would be to deny us, the people, the chance to get close to the game, to cut off a valuable source of information that the fans need.

Really? If these endless press conferences were so important then Ian Holloway's comedy routine, a routine that would play to empty houses in the worst sort of Edinburgh Fringe venue, wouldn't have been siezed upon as a highlight of each English Premier League week this season.

Football has very skillfully set its own agenda by constantly feeding the press what it wants them to hear. In turn the media have become convinced that we demand that their role is simply to play the middleman in a great conversation between "football" and the fans. They are terrified that access will be cut off. And that makes them even less likely to properly question what they are being told.

It's an open goal for football. Ferguson simply chooses to fill his boots.

Anyways, back to the game this evening.

Barcelona are favourites. Many predictions seem to consider a Barcelona win a foregone conclusion.

Understandable really. Here's one of the game's biggest clubs so often reminding us of what joy football can bring.

The majesty of this season's 5-0 defeat of Real Madrid will live long. So sustained is their excellence that there is a risk we will begin to take it for granted. We shouldn't. Teams like this don't come along very often. We should savour every moment.

In Lionel Messi Barcelona have a devastating weapon. His semi final goal at the Bernabeu proved that he can rise above his surrounds. That night he lit up a game so unpleasant to watch it had me longing for the delights of Alex Miller's Hibs team of the 1986/87 season.

That game also highlighted one of the problems Manchester United face. Barcelona are not such purists that they can resist being sucked into a war of attrition.

But even if you try to drag them down they have brilliance enough at their disposal to find the fleeting moment of devastating quality that will pull them free.

What Ferguson chooses to do with a problem like Messi is one of the big questions ahead of the game. Man mark him? Who wants that job?

I heard an intriguing theory based on the 1966 World Cup final when Alf Ramsay sacrificed Bobby Charlton's attacking threat and got him to shadow Franz Beckenbaeur. Step forward Wayne Rooney to do the same this evening?

It would be something to watch. But surely there is not parity enough between these two sides for Ferguson to give up on the hope that this is the final where Rooney can make his own indelible mark.

Darren Fletcher might be another contender. However well he would be suited to tracking Messi for 90 minutes or 120 minutes, this might not be Fletcher's time. The virus he has struggled to shake off has left him short of match time and, judging by his appearance last weekend, worryingly thin.

Ferguson would love Fletcher to play but it looks like such a decision would be based on sentiment and hope rather than any real confidence that he could perform to his best so soon after returning.

So the Messi problem offers an interesting chance to play the often fruitless game of trying to second guess Alex Ferguson. The manager has said, in a tone which I like to imagine hinted at Marlon Brando in The Godfather, that there is always a way to stop even the very best from performing.

But Messi has the talent to overcome even the sternest obstacle. And silencing his genius is unlikely to be enough to muffle the threat of teammates who are hardly cowed into walking in the Argentinian's shadow.

If Messi ever wonders which players are close to him at the top of the game he can just have a glance round at training. Andres Iniesta and Xavi joined him in the top three at the Ballon d'Or awards.

Everywhere you look United are faced with mountains to climb to reach the promised land.

It's impossible though to deny the stubborn resilience they've shown this season. And they are not without threats of their own. Guile in midfield, the electric Javier Hernandez, the talent of Rooney. And that work ethic.

Pep Guardiola has shown himself to be too canny to consider this one a done deal.

But it is Guardiola who has to be the favourite to repeat his trick of 2009 and get the better of Alex Ferguson.

Still a cautionary note must remain. Ferguson's career is full of moments when his teams shouldn't have pulled off this, were unable to win that.

He's got a terrible habit of delivering his greatest coups when they look most unlikely.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Soup and Super-injunctions

If football's ability to constantly surprise is one of the things that keeps Alex Ferguson so hooked on the game, then one wonders what he's made of this past week.

Could he have imagined, in the build up to tomorrow's Champions League final, that it would be Ryan Giggs who was dominating the media for non-footballing reasons?

Back in the day, ensconced as manager of Aberdeen and building a footballing force at Pittodrie, a young player - it might have been Alex McLeish - informed his boss that he'd be leaving the parental home and moving into his own flat.

"Can you make a pot of soup?" Ferguson asked.

"No, no idea how to make soup," came the reply.

That, Ferguson declared, was proof positive that the youngster was incapable of surviving alone. Until he could provide basic foodstuffs for himself, flying the nest was off the agenda.

Nae soup, nae bachelor pad.

On Monday an MP named Ryan Giggs, Ferguson's most senior player, as the footballer at the centre of stories regarding an alleged affair with minor celebrity and occasional tabloid favourite, Imogen Thomas.

This came after a super-injunction saga that struck at the heart of the UK's privacy laws - or at least how judges interpret those laws for the benefit of the rich and randy.

Questions were raised about the relationship between Scots media law and English and Welsh media law when the Sunday Herald named the player in question.

A can of worms regarding the status of laws built for an old media structure in a new media age was blown open as Twitter descended on the carcass of a costly and failed super-injunction.

The freedom of the press to titillate readers with tales of the bedroom derring-do of footballers was debated.

And Monday was the day when a footballer's rumoured sexual shenanigans seemed to pitch parliament against the judiciary.

Football's rebirth as the apparent centre of our national life has brought Ferguson both riches and success. In his career he has seen much, managed some bad boys, had players capable of some extreme behaviour.

But never, I think, would he have imagined that allegations about a shagging footballer would end up rocking the constitutional boat.

Does he, in quieter moments, ever think longingly of simpler times, of the days when the only worry he had about his players was whether or not they'd paid attention the day their domestic science class had made Scotch Broth?

Friday Video: Busby, Stein and Shankly

Recent commutes have been leavened by Barney Ronay's The Manager: The Absurd Ascent of the Most Important Man in Football.

It's in turns mildly diverting, reasonably interesting and laugh out loud funny.

And, of course, no discussion of the role of the manager without reference to management's tartan trinity.

Sent forth from the very bowels of the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire coalfields, it seemed Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein were put on this earth to bend football clubs, and the game itself, to their will.

As Ronay writes:

"Busby, Shankly, Stein. This is our managerial supergroup. They're like the members of Cream, if Eric Clapton had been joined not by some other excellent 1960s musicians, but by Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix and Liberace.

"Each brought something different, his own virtuoso guitar solo, drum break or shrieking signature vocal. Busby gave the preacherly and the paternal tone, father and Father rolled into one. Shankly brought an urgently vocal presence. Stein was the Big Man, the beacon, the lighthouse."

Each rebuilt clubs from inauspicious beginnings. Manchester United were near bankrupt and bombed out when Busby took over. Liverpool were in the Second Division when Shankly arrived. Celtic had won the league only once since war when Stein was appointed in 1965.

All stories that have been oft repeated, all stories that remain remarkable despite that familiarity.

In an ideal world, a planet free of copyright and rights issues, this week's Friday video would centre on Hugh McIlvanney's three part Arena documentary for the BBC: Busby, Stein and Shankly - The Football Men.

Instead we'll turn to the most publicly vocal of the three. That might be fitting, it's easy to imagine Busby and Stein giving their smiling acquiescence as Shankly, as ever, demanded the last word.

Bill Shankly on Matt Busby

Bill Shankly on Jock Stein

Bill Shankly on Bill Shankly

English Premier League: Up for Grabs

It's funny that the English Premier League, oft called the world's greatest, is currently developing into a duel between two sides who seem to be perpetually on the verge of being christened crisis clubs.

Manchester United's every defeat or stumble allows people to point forensically to their weaknesses while ignoring the counter evidence that they sit atop the league, have a cup semi final to look forward to and remain in the Champion's League. At the moment it looks a winning kind of weakness.

And chasing them are Arsenal. With their pretty as a picture aesthetics too often rendering neutrals as blind to their soft, crumbly core as their manager seems to be.

Makes for no little drama though.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are fighting it out for the two remaining Champion's League spots with Liverpool, despite the increasingly balming presence of Kenny Dalglish, looking like they might miss out on Europe altogether.

Uncertainty at the bottom as well. Wigan currently sit bottom of the pile. But only ten points separate them from Sunderland in eighth. There's still time for some established teams to be pulled into a dogfight they really don't want.

It's certainly compelling. And a perfect time to welcome back Mark Briggs to give us his thoughts on what's been going down, down south:

So if anyone wants an English Premier League title there is currently one up for grabs.

Chelsea were the first casualties of the laissez faire attitude to winning this year’s trophy. The first months of the season saw them blitzkrieg their way through the opposition with an orgy of goals, speed and skill, then December hit and they slipped into free fall.

Manchester United, despite people suggesting they weren’t all that good, made it into the new year unbeaten, building up a healthy lead, then lost some very high profile games this month, drawing everyone’s eyes to their midfield or lack thereof.

The team trailing (seemingly perpetually), Arsenal, conspire to drop points every time United do, meaning that they currently sit second. They could have, and should have, overtaken the Red Devils. But results that entail giving up a four goal lead tend to hold you back.

Arsenal also could have, and perhaps should have, beaten Birmingham in the League Cup.

Congratulations to the Blues who have had to hang on since the 1950s without any meaningful silverware, but the trophy should have been the removal of a mental barrier for Arsene Wenger and his team.

This summer (I know the season hasn’t finished yet) both Arsenal and Manchester United need some midfield reinforcement. Arsenal need some natural width, so they can push Nasri into the middle (especially if Fabregas departs). Diaby and Rosicky have appeared mere passengers in the last few games. However Jack Wilshere continues to impress.

Manchester United also need some new blood in the middle of midfield, Giggs and Scholes will not last forever.

Who's out there? I'm not entirely sure. Jack Rodwell seems to be a natural choice, but hasn’t enjoyed the same form as last year, although he has been held back by injuries and Everton’s general bad form.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham. Two of these will head into the Champion's League with Arsenal and Manchester United. One will go into the Europa League, one will miss out entirely on European Football. Nervous times heading into the spring fixtures.

A couple of years ago Alan Hansen proclaimed “you need to be a great team to win the Premiership.” This is no longer the case. All the teams have some serious flaws, but the league is still so exciting because Wolves can take points off all of the teams chasing Europe and still find themselves in the relegation zone.

Birmingham have a trophy and European football guaranteed next season, but will they be in the top flight?

West Ham are semi resurgent and look set to run head long into West Brom and Blackpool who are heading the other way.

To this end West Brom have appointed Roy Hodgson as their new manager. After what he did at Liverpool, this doesn’t look a great call, but after what he did with Fulham there is surely hope for the Baggies.

Hodgson likes his teams to work hard and plan ahead. His Liverpool team lacked the passion Anfield craves and which Kenny Dalglish is helping to restore. But his tactics made the Fulham players better. The team also became more than the sum of their improved parts. Even this took time however, so will he have enough left to save West Brom?

A run either way can really help. One team will no doubt go on a good run and pull away before it gets to squeaky bum and ‘where have my fingernails gone?’ time. My bet for the team to do this is Birmingham. Once they get over the hangover of winning a trophy they have a good enough defence that they will be hard to beat.

Watch out for West Ham though, they have an unpredictability up front that will infuriate but could also steal them some crucial points.

Wayne Rooney v Manchester City, 12/02/2011

> The copyright bods are going a little crazy over this goal I'm afraid. Any links appreciated.

A single goal means nothing in a career.

And I say that as someone who saw Alan Ormen score "that" goal for Hibs against Rangers at Ibrox.

But this was some strike from Wayne Rooney for Manchester United against Manchester City today.

Out of form, miserable, maligned. He's all that and more. Is one strike enough to get him back to where he was? There have been signs in recent weeks. Maybe this was confirmation.

In any event, it was some strike.

Duncan Edwards

A moment of repose before the big day ahead.

6th February 1958.

A plane crashes on a runway in Munich. 23 of the 44 passengers die, including eight Manchester United
players.

Among them was Duncan Edwards. It is football's tragedy that we will never know the player he could have been:

Is it possible that Duncan Edwards was really that good? Greater, perhaps, than Pele or Alfredo di Stefano? Frustratingly, there being little film footage available of him in action, we must depend upon the evidence of eyewitnesses at the time. "He was the best player I've ever seen and the best footballer I ever played with," says Sir Bobby Charlton. "I always felt I could compare well with any player - except Duncan. He was such a talent, I always felt inferior to him."

Even Matt Busby, who was vehement in his refusal to acknowledge that one 'Babe' might be regarded as more important than the others, could not camouflage the tone of awe that entered his voice whenever Edwards' name was raised. "Duncan had everything. He was so big, so strong, so confident and still so young. Right from the start we gave up trying to spot flaws in his game. John Charles was another giant of a player, a giant with great, great skill. But as a player, even John didn't have as much as Duncan. He used to move upfield brushing people aside to lash in late goals when we needed them." (Telegraph)

Friday Video: Gary Neville

And so Gary Neville has finally - and not before time - called time on his career.

I can charitably describe him as a divisive figure. But one of the most consistent performers in English football for a decade. The greatest? Probably not. But, while some sneered at his dedication and fastidiousness, it was the mark of player making the most of what he had. And that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Anyway the videos. Bit short on goals these.

Bizarrely we start with David Beckham popping round to cook G Nev a meal:



A tribute to the man himself:



Talksport have a little fun at Gary's expense:



Not to forget Phil, maybe we'll see this book rocket up the charts



The Scottish Football Blog News Feed

English Premier League: Bent Transfers In England

Football's versions of the January sales - inflated prices and manager's traipsing far and wide with the desperation of a father searching for a Buzz Lightyear toy on Christmas Eve.

Regular English Premier League guest blogger, Mark Briggs, is back with a look at the moves and speculation as Kenny Dalglish looks to revitalise Liverpool, Charlie Adam and Blackpool face up to a parting of the ways and a calm and collected Aston Villa are in no way panicked into a big money move for Darren Bent. And Scottish managers take control:

With December now behind us, and festive waistlines deflating quicker than English confidence in Wayne Rooney, it's time to look at the stage of the season where the games become mere fodder and filler compared to the noble art of transfer speculation.

Last month we saw Chelsea slip and recover. Aston Villa moved from saying “we’re not worried” to “we’re in a fight no doubt about it” in a week or two. It looks like we’ve got a proper title race, with Manchester City confirming they are contenders.

Arsenal look like they are going to give it all they have to win something this season. Yet despite seeming progress, they are currently 0-1 down to Ipswich in the Carling Cup, needed a last minute penalty and a replay to see off Leeds in the FA Cup and face Barcelona in the Champions League. Things may not look so rosy in a month.

But they’ve played well enough to have the chairman asking where they left the key to the trophy cabinet, despite being on the third goalkeeper of the year.

The Manchester teams are in good little battle of their own, with the blue half splashing the cash on Dzeko and having a bit of a clear out of players who didn’t quite make the grade.

Alan Pardew rode in on a white horse and with promised to play “sexy football”… No, wait. Getting my managers confused, that was Kenny Dalglish way back when, or was it that bloke now in charge in Chechnya?

I am too young to remember with any detail the last Anfield reign of King Kenny but (despite some mediocre results) he has already given Liverpool a sense of belief. They don’t have a good squad and are not challenging for trophies but a feeling has been created that this is now a temporary state of affairs, whereas a few weeks ago it seemed inevitable. They will need more players to come in this month, and they need quality, but optimism is on the rise.

An interesting little side note brought to my attention the other day: There are currently more managers working in the English Premier League from Glasgow than from the whole of England. (Ferguson, Dalglish, Moyes, McLeish, Kean and Coyle vs Redknapp, Bruce, Holloway and Pardew)

Blackpool look to be facing up to the inevitability of their success, the realisation that they aren’t big enough to hold on to your truly good players. So how much is Charlie Adam worth? And, more importantly, when to let him go? Now at an inflated price, at the end of the season after hopefully staying in the Premiership, or for free in 18 months? Pros and cons to all. Tough job being a football manager.

The big news, about six months after losing Martin O’Neil because of lack of investment, Aston Villa have been forced to shell out £24million for Darren Bent because they can't score goals and might go down. Worth the trade? Tough job being a football chairman.

It's staying interesting people!

Will blog again once the transfer sagas are done and dusted to try and make sense of the prices, winners and losers.

The Scottish Football Blog News Feed

Rangers v Manchester United

A break from the surreal squabbling over referee’s strikes and pointing the finger(s) of blame.

Tonight Scottish football is touched by the glamour of the Champion’s League and the might of Manchester United.

Glasgow could do with a bit of glamour actually. Lovely place, nice people. But even in a recession I’d have thought they could do better than hiring The Krankies to flick the switch on their Christmas lights.

The verdict of an English colleague who was there with a Spanish friend: Ian and Jeannette Tough have a unique brand of humour that loses much of the, well, humour in the translation. Seems it gains a lot of creepiness though.

Anyway the lights are turned on and the council budget is hardly touched. Which means Sir Alex Ferguson can expect red carpet treatment as he returns to Govan.

The last time he was about these parts Ferguson’s 2003 United side enjoyed a 1-0 victory in a fairly tight match that was swung by a fifth minute goal from Phil Neville.

Lot of water under the bridge since then and the gap between the two sides has grown ever more pronounced. Even Manchester United’s debt makes Rangers’ fiscal shenanigans look amateurish.

But shocks do happen. It was said that Rangers lacked ambition during this season’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. Except the ambition was to snaffle a point. That job was done. Walter Smith is happy to let others worry about his tactics.

United will qualify for the last 16 with another draw tonight but they’re unlikely to arrive at Ibrox happy to settle for a point.

Everyone in football seems to agree that they aren’t anywhere near their best at the moment. But they’re joint top of the English Premier League, top of their Champion’s League group and yet to concede a goal in Europe. It’s a successful enough kind of shoddiness.

Robbed of Bougherra, Webster and Edu through injury and with Sasa Papac doubtful Rangers are going to be forced to tinker. The emphasis will still be on defence but the available personnel will mean there will have to be some shift to attack.

Will that expose them to an onslaught? Wayne Rooney is likely to return to United’s starting line-up. But which Wayne Rooney? The highly rewarded passenger that he’s been of late or the player who would eat Kirk Broadfoot for breakfast in his pomp?

We’ll have to wait for the answer to that one. The ideal scenario for Rangers is that Rooney not only remains off form but also creates a sense of unease among his teammates. Such an outcome would send Ferguson apoplectic.

He’d never admit it about his old mate but the more annoyed Ferguson gets the happier Walter Smith is likely to be.

A tough ask for Rangers. They need another night of unlikely heroics, for United to show the hesitancy that’s marked their play this season. But United’s campaign has been dominated by a stubborness that suggests that, even if they are far from being Ferguson’s best vintage, they might be the squad most closely built in his image.

Off-form but determined, I’d expect United to get the win.

We’ll also get the first chance of the week to see a foreign referee strutting his stuff on a Scottish pitch. Massimo Busacca apparently once gave fans a “two finger salute.”

Unfortunately I think Mr Busacca might be a touch expensive for the SFA to parachute in for a weekend SPL game.

Still, if we’re going to be doing this on a budget it seems that The Krankies are both cheap and available.

EPL Round-Up: Money Talks

Guest blogger Mark Briggs returns with his monthly look at the English top flight. October saw Liverpool win in the law courts but struggle on the football pitch. One Manchester millionaire got even richer and Chelsea carried on regardless.

Early season form is beginning to develop into season defining starts.

Liverpool, far from having a season to rebound or consolidate, are only a few bad results away from bringing into use one of the classic cliché of modern football, being ‘too big to go down.’ Having said that, one of the biggest milestones of the season happened off the field. New England Sports Ventures battled the owners and, bizarrely, a Texan court, to finally take control of Liverpool. To highlight that off the field problems weren’t the only thing hanging over the club, the following weekend the team lost 2-0 to fierce rivals Everton and put in a damp performance.

In all likelihood, if Roy Hogson’s men still find themselves in this mess come January there will be money to spend, although potentially by a different manager. Another striker and an attacking midfielder seem to be a must.

The Reds traditional big rivals are also struggling and have also had their start to the season overshadowed by peripheral matters. Manchester United have struggled to hold on to leads, something that would have been unthinkable two years ago, when Ferdinand andd Vidic looked like the preverbal brick wall and Jonny Evans looked a natural fit as a replacement for either. Rio Ferdinand has been injured and Evans is looking vulnerable against the high ball. In what is rumoured to be his final year, Edwin Van der Sar has unfortunately also suffered a dip in form. But being an Alex Ferguson team ‘struggling’ means they are still third.

The top of the table has a familiar look to it, with Manchester City occupying the 4th spot ahead of Spurs this time round.

Spurs are playing well, with their usual swashbuckling style, but it seems to be more of an effort this year. Modric has not hit his best form, but this has been tempered by the arrival of Rafael Van der Vaart who has come out of the blocks flying and seems determined to score or create a goal every time he gets the ball.

West Ham have been unable to push on from last year, not helped by a loss of form by Carlton Cole. There were rumours that Liverpool failed with an 11th hour bid for the England striker before the last transfer window closed - if he doesn’t have his head in the game, they are likely to continue to struggle.

Chelsea are surging forward, they have to be favourites to win the league this year. They have looked very impressive, lots of goals and a solid back line.

Much was made of Arsenal’s showing at Manchester City, and while it was impressive, the sending off of Deryk Boyata less than 5 minutes in made the process a lot easier. Having said that Almunia will now surely not walk back into this team, and they pulled of this feat without Jack Wilshere, their star performer this year.

Arsenal’s inability to beat the top teams has been the major factor behind those 4 trophyless seasons. But how often has the Arsenal first team been involved? They are not a team who picks up a knock and misses a couple of games. If an Arsenal player gets injured they seem to miss months. Even this week the first choice centre backs were missing.
City have not responded to that loss, going down at Wolves. As soon as their form dipped questions surrounding the temperament, the egos, the wages etc were bound to follow. But on field arguments, coupled with rumours of some behind closed doors incidents will have the blue half of Manchester a little worried.

Special mention has to be reserved for West Brom, who until a few days ago sat fourth. There is still long way to go, but they look more like a Premiership team, rather than a championship outfit hanging on. There are a number of clubs looking over their shoulder and this season looks to be two tiered. Anyone in the top half seems capable of beating any of the others, and everyone in the bottom half is more than capable of getting relegated.

Hopefully next month the back page headlines will not be dominated by money issues.

England: The Story So Far

So England won 4-0 last night. All is well with the world. Hell of a manager that Italian boy, isn't he?

Elsewhere down south the annual cattle auction that is transfer deadline day has passed. As in Scotland the international break has come too early in the season to allow us to draw any firm conclusions about the English Premier League season ahead.

Still, as guest blogger Mark Briggs discusses below, we might just be able to find a few pointers about the drama to come:

We’ve hit the international break, so this is the ideal time to reflect on the start to the new Premiership season. In a handy combo for summarisers the transfer window has also closed. So who’s started well, who is squirming in their seat, and who did the transfer window treat well or poorly.

Well let's start at the top, well it’s the big 4 isn’t it. Isn’t it?

Well, yes and no. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United make up the top 3. Then Aston Villa have got themselves up there, despite being hammered by Newcastle and dumped out of the Europe League (still sounds weird).

Europe, of various kinds, looks to have caused a slight hangover for Manchester City and Tottenham who both had disappointing results after midweek games.

Blackpool sit comfortably in mid table (also despite being humped 6-0) and Stoke lie in the bottom three, but have picked up some very useful looking summer signings.

All this shows that looking at teams start to the season is pointless in terms of, well, points gained. So which individuals have caught the eye, and who looks a bargain, or a financial pain in the neck.

For all the sobbing about England’s golden generation (see previous posts) and the lack of replacements for them it’s young Englishmen who have caught my eye. Theo Walcott looks sharp, not just quick, and with purpose. Neither of these could be directed at him last season. This year he has had the summer off, and has started the season fully fit. These are also two things he couldn’t have been accused of last year. Twelve months ago Arsene Wenger complained the Walcott shouldn’t have gone to the U21 tournament, he needed rest and a proper pre-season. Whinge, whinge is what most people heard, but having got just that this summer, well, he looks on fire.

Andy Carroll caught my eye when Newcastle got relegated. Despite not scoring a hatful of goals there was something about him. A season of regular football at Championship level and he looks ready for the Premiership. It was the manner of his hat trick against Villa that was most impressive and his early season form must be making Carlton Cole look over his shoulder, nervous for his England squad place.

And finally Joe Hart. His performances so far this season have spectacularly made a mockery of Fabio Capello’s decision not to play him at the World Cup. Having kept Shay Given out of the team the only goal he has conceded so far is a penalty.

Questions remain over the rest of the City team, however. What is their preferred line up, important for when the big games come around, what style do they want to play, and how do you keep Given, Adebayour etc etc happy (or at least quiet) till January?

Liverpool have recouped more money than they have spent this summer, perhaps a statement on the teams behind the scenes troubles, and haven’t had the type of start that suggests they are ‘back’. Their quest for a second striker yielded no results, so hope now falls on Ngog to continue some bright form. Arsenal also failed to acquire a goalkeeper. This is the bad side of Arsene Wenger. We love the flowing football, the attacking intent, and the slicing open of a defence with one touch. But the stubbornness to not get a goalkeeper, because he believes in someone the rest of us have never seen, or because the one he was after cost 99p too much looks likely to turn round and bite him at least once this season.

A goalie gives the rest of the team stability, look back to the history of Manchester Utd between the Schmeichel and the Van der Sar years. If nothing else they lacked the aura. These two goalies put it in the opposition’s head; it is going to be hard to score today. Never mind generating chances, if you get a chance, in the back of your head you back the goalie to save it. Manuel Almunia is capable of spectacular saves, but he doesn’t give you that aura.

Staying with Manchester United, what can you say about Paul Scholes? He is simply getting better and better. At one point last year he came in for a few games and looked totally inept. The decision to keep him in the squad looked a sentimental one. Then he burst back into form and hasn’t looked back. At the moment he is playing like Iniesta or Xavi, and over the last few years at club and international level there is no higher praise.

It has been the start we hoped for, goals flying in from everywhere, many of them from Chelsea who have carried on as if the summer didn’t happen. Now switch your attentions to Euro 2012 before we really get this season going and into the autumn months, where the football really starts to count.

Seeing Is Believing

"Over the last two or three years we have seen very wealthy owners become part of football clubs and therefore go on this kamikaze effort to spend their money."

That's Sir Alex Ferguson's take on the continued summer spending of some of Manchester United's rivals. Not that he's looking at anyone in particular, of course. Near neighbours never even crossed his mind.

But is there not something "kamikaze" about signing a player that you've never even seen? For £7.5 million?

Who would do that?

Well, Sir Alex Ferguson would:

"I didn't see any videos of him, it's the first time," Ferguson said. "Normally, as in the case of Javier and Chris, I saw plenty of video footage of them. You've got to trust your staff at times and our scout in Portugal was adamant we must do something quickly. So I sent David Gill down there to do the deal.

"You'd have to ask Real how interested they were but I know they were hovering and so were Benfica. So were one or two other clubs and that's where you have to make quick decisions in life and I'm not too bad about that. I also spoke to Carlos Queiroz about him. Sometimes you have to go on an instinct, you look at material. You look at their age and whether they're bringing pace, balance, desire to play and things like that."

I hope it works out. The dream is a Ronaldo. The nightmare is an Ali Dia. Somebody's got rich from it though.

Manchester United Sign Homeless World Cup Star

A remarkable story coming out of Old Trafford:

Manchester United have spent £7.4m to sign Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, otherwise known as Bébé, a relatively unknown 20-year-old from the Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães, the Guardian can reveal. The deal was finalised today, with the player becoming the eighth senior striker at the club.

United have paid the buyout clause to release Bébé – was raised in an orphanage after spending part of his childhood on the streets and has represented Portugal in the Homeless World Cup – from his five-year contract at Guimarães only five weeks after he joined the club from Estrela da Amadora in the Portuguese third division. (The Guardian)

As far as I am aware this makes Bébé the first graduate of the Homeless World Cup to make it to one of the big European leagues and certainly the first to join a club of United's stature.

Dreams, it seems, can come true.

* The 2010 Homeless World Cup kicks off in Rio next month