Watching Phil Brown pick up that microphone and sing like a drunken uncle at a christening then reading he and his chairman are “mates”, I couldn’t help but think some people are just made for each other.

The great goatee himself will be back at Old Trafford next season and will probably give his half-time team talk in Lou Macari’s fish and chip shop, possibly wearing a hairnet and trying to up-sell haddock. I can’t wait.

So of course the big man has made a sulking, yet sublimely gifted, striker his sole transfer target this summer. Optimistically I see shades of – wait for it – Cantona in Berbatov’s play. To see him running around with Rooney is something to look forward to.

Down in Stamfordgrad Ambramovich’s mission to destroy the game is gathering pace. How appropriate that a club whose initials are CFC should be slowly eroding the soul of football.

This morning I read that they are dropping funds equivalent to the cost of building 15 hospitals on the doorsteps of AC Milan. All this so that they can head off with Kaka in a limousine sporting blacked out windows. He is a decent player Kaka and will definitely make them more tricky.

There are a lot of decent people working hard in our league but with every transfer of this size I see the gap widening and it doesn’t make me happy. It would be justice for the game if United and Arsenal finished above Chelsea this season. How annoying that Roman seems hell-bent on spending money until he gets what he wants.

As I said this time last year, we are duty bound to keep those men in blue at bay. The thought of their evil clutches on the biggest prizes is too hideous to bear.

Two things appear to be clear, Ferguson doesn’t want to sell him and he wants to go. I, for one, am not in the business of testing the big man’s resolve on any matter, so I feel it is still a matter of whether or not he goes, rather than simply when and for how much.

History backs me up on this. After the last international tournament Ronaldo publicly stated his desire to leave for Real Madrid only to be talked out of it and quickly hushed upon his return to Manchester. You will have read by now that he has gone on holiday and the state of play has still not changed. Same as last time.

The reasons being mooted for selling him are as follows. Firstly the money. Yes we would get a big pile of cash off the Spaniards but there is no way that £60million would buy us a winger and a goalscorer of such quality in such a short space of time. But the Glazers might want it to pay off the debts I hear you cry! Well that’s their problem, I am assuming they have some kind of business plan which didn’t involve unexpected piles of money landing on their laps so they can stick to that.

No player is bigger than the club. I agree with this one, and there are those amongst us who still rue the sales of Rvn and Sir David but the precedent has been set and we should stick to it. I actually don’t think that he has got to that stage yet, he still plays for the team and is not asking for outlandishly special treatment around the club. His training is legendarily diligent and as such his professionalism is still sound enough for United.

He doesn’t want to play for us so get rid. Fair enough and this is the argument that will be the clincher for most of us but to me it smacks of, well, being a bit self-defeatest. It is important to remember that this guy can do stuff that nobody else can do, he really is that good, and if he plays he will play well of that I am sure.

But the reason I really want to keep him? If he stays I think we can make it in Europe again next year. And you know what? Ferguson agrees with me.

It is important to note that United have not really played 4-4-2 all season, more 4-5-Rooney in fact, so when second guessing the team selection we should probably not have that formation in mind. Despite the return of Gary and Silvestre from injury I still think that we should go with the same back four as we’ve had all season. It is the front six where picking things becomes tricky.

For that part of the equation it becomes necessary to have a look at Chleski’s areas of strength. In my humble opinion, the way to beat Chelsea is to keep Drogba and Ballack quiet, harrass Terry and keep an eye on Joe Cole. So which players are going to do that then?

Jono has made the excellent point about Hargreaves’ familiarity with Ballack, and I agree that they should start opposite each other, we have no other player who understands the German’s bag o tricks better than him. Vidic is probably the only defender in the world tough enough to keep Drogba chained up and, provided he doesn’t get hospitalised by the bloke again, I think he can do it.

Rooney and Ronaldo should be up to the task of giving the Chelsea back four a hard time. That really is where we will either win or lose the match, whether they score is crucial, obviously. Wesley, keep an eye on Cole, you train opposite each other for England, you know what he’s up to.

So what else do we need in the team? Class, quite simply, and cool heads, I think Scholes (the already picked) fits in to that category and the only other dilemma is whether to go for Giggs or Anderson? The answer is (drum roll please…) Anderson, because Giggs and Nani are better impact players from the bench.

And so the team is…

VDS

WES RIO VIDIC EVRA

OWEN SCHOLES

RONALDO ANDERSON CARRICK

ROONEY

Bench: Giggs, Nani, Silvestre, Fletcher, Mark Payne

Anyway I must dash, getting married this afternoon, nearly forgot.

It is fair to assume that Ferguson will pick the team against Wigan that he would like to play against Chelsea in Moscow, both matches are of crucial importance and are spread out in such a way that overtiring the players need not be a matter for too much concern. What is of concern is that Ferguson has gone on record as saying that he would ‘pick Paul Scholes on sentiment’ and backed up the claim since. With Giggs just one, or two, games away from Bobby Charlton’s record does this mean he will be picked using the same criteria? United are without a shadow of a doubt a club that does things the right way, always providing tickets for ex-players and commemorating them appropriately with testimonials but these things happen, crucially, after the players have retired. The man who dropped Jim Leighton for the 1990 FA Cup Final replay was a man interested in winning. The first match in that encounter with Crystal Palace was a six goal belter. The replay was a dour, stodgy match indeed but it did bring home the trophy. There is often talk about playing the Manchester United way and whilst I wholeheartedly endorse this, we need to play the team that is going to win the game.

Wes Brown should start at right back and Evra at left back. Vidic, VDS and Rio pick themselves.The forward six should be Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Hargreaves Anderson. Simple. Yet I have a nagging thought that Fergie might get the jitters and try a new tactical formation that doesn’t work. I see Ronaldo playing as an out an out striker for example.

Thoughts?

United finished last season terribly and playing some fairly dour football.  After all of the huffing and puffing about a decent summers rest and a proper pre-season for Rooney at last I suppose the continuation of that poor form into this year was not something that we expected. 

Yet continue it did and then of course Wayne and Christiano ruled themselves out from the off.  I am right in saying, however, that we have created more scoring opportunities than anybody else so far this season and even though we haven’t been putting them away yet class will tell eventually.

The last three games have seen us win one nil from headed goals, not the most complicated way to do things but its nice to know we can get the basics right too.Liverpool and Chelsea have both already faltered a touch and it could well be Christmas before we can decide who the genuine contenders are this season.  I am confident that we will be one of them. 

It is also telling that Rooney is back, incredibly, already, and I for one hadn’t even noticed that he had gone. 

The situation with Gabby seems to be different and answers are not flowing freely. The big question is why on earth does he want to go? We have looked after him with his injuries and even voted him our player of the year in his first season, so how he could even consider going to Liverpool is beyond me.

It is my understanding that all new players are indoctrinated into the history of the club fairly thoroughly. One thinks they might mention during that process that we are none too chummy with the scousers.

I don’t think that him and Fergie have spoken yet and he is due in for training on Monday. I tell myself to remember that he has come back alive from irking the manager before, when he insisted on playing in the Olympics shortly after signing.

It will be interesting to see how that meeting goes and no doubt we’ll get some more solid information shortly afterwards. The bottom line is though, if he wants to go, he should be gone. But it is a big why?

Why is this?  Because I firmly believe that football matters, that it makes a difference and that what you go through as a fan makes it more than just a game.

I am not a political commentator but who wouldn’t have clenched a fist and punched the air today when they heard that Iraq had won the Asian Cup with a team Sunnis, Shias, Kurds and Turkomans.  Giving you something to shout about when nothing else seems to be going your way is what this sport is all about.  Seeing the pictures of people celebrating in Baghdad today I almost wanted to be there with them.  Good for you guys, good for you.

I am happy to be proved wrong by Mr. Ferguson but admit that I am yet to be completely convinced about Carrick’s contribution to the team.

So what is going to happen this season? Despite the money we have already spent I think it is actually going to be more difficult. We have not looked all powerful against Arsenal Chelsea or Liverpool for a while and the importance of the games against those three will be even more massive than usual.

I feel that we have a responsibility to the sport to beat Chelsea and Liverpool, in particular, to the trophies and I expect them to both provide strong challenges this time out. It is, probably still, a year too early for Arsenal but Wenger should never be underestimated. If Chelsea can win the league and Liverpool the European Cup playing the game they play then entire game is in serious trouble.

I expect Liverpool to be strong this year and Chelsea will be like a wounded beast in the league. It is important that somebody, preferably us, beats them at Stamford Bridge soon. Liverpool, as we know, are desperate for the championship. It is critical, critical, critical that they do not get there. We cannot allow the smuggest fans in the world to become an smugger. So there we have it, it is our duty to win the league for the good of the sport in general, the thought of either of those two winning leaves a sickening feeling in my stomach.

They are basically unproven at the highest level but the words Kleberson and Forlorn ping around my head every time I hear how great they are ging to be. Fifty million quid is a lot of money.
I’ll talk about the Tevez thing if and when he arrives but it does seem like Fergie is intent on having a go this year.

Hargreaves should be good, proven in the Champions league, performed as well as any of our other players at last year’s world cup and he’s dug his heels in to move here. Sounds like my kind of guy. He also seems like the kind of dude who, once given his job, will get on with it no complaints. United need this kind of attitude, for once I have high hopes.