Post by Scott on Jul 31, 2007 3:04:12 GMT
Doesn’t feel like two minutes ago I was finishing up our season review edition of the Paper. Well here we are back again, awaiting the defence of our Premiership title. The week following seeing the lads lift our trophy, I was ready for football to end. Let’s just call it a day here eh? We’d had a painful few years, watching our lads fall short every season, and now finally, we were back on top. The thought of having to go through another season was too much for me! Well, two months have passed now and I’m more ready than ever for the start of the football year.
It was great to see us lift the title in our first full season on the forum, and of course I’d be eager for a repeated success. For all the hard work from the mods, the forum wouldn’t be what it is without the members, so cheers for your continued support.
Just a couple of announcements now. The forum's image has been updated to make it a bit more streamline and modern, hope that goes down well. New avatar options have been added, so check those out if you fancy a bit of a change. The shops have gone through a bit of an overhaul over the past couple of weeks. We’ve added a couple of new designs now which have been deemed pretty popular so far. We’ve also updated some of our older designs and products. There are t-shirts on there for as little as 8 quid, so check it out here.
If you have any suggestions for new designs, just post them up here.
The blog now has it’s very own RSS feed. More information on this can be found here. You can now access the blog at TheRepublikOfMancunia.com.
As always, we're looking for contributors to the Paper. If you want to be the first person to give your opinion on our match/player/goal etc. for the new season, then drop a PM to any of the staff members. If you have any other new ideas about something you would like to contribute, such as a video/game review etc. then again just let us know. Those who have contributed to the Paper 4 times get a badge in their sig
Now let us begin:
Member of the Month
As always, we've had a load of great contributors to the forum, and it's difficult to pick the best. However, due to his continued support, joining the forum over a year ago now, Ben aka Vidic>Superman has been awarded with the award. Congrats
Why We Will Win The League Again
This month’s article is written by MissUnited.
Manchester United seized their ninth Premiership title under Sir Alex Ferguson last season. Although the difference between the teams that finished first and second might not have been represented by a high number in points, the teams themselves did not have a very similar season. United deserved to win the league last season, we worked harder than any other team did, we played some sexy football, and despite having injuries towards the end we got on with it, rather than making up excuses as to why we couldn't.
Since then we have added to a squad that at the beginning of last season, many fans were concerned would not have the width to compete with Chelsea. The addition of Carrick and Kuszczak last summer was to some just a disappointment, some even thought Carrick was a bad substitute for the failed attempt of getting Hargreaves, but even worse, the money was not spent on a striker to replace Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Where would the goals come from the press taunted, predicting United to end up from anything like second to fifth on the final table. Didn't they know Manchester United always score? Personally I was happy when Ruud left, I was thankful for his service to the club, but he was disruptive to the rest of the team by then and so didn't deserve to keep playing for us. Of course, it didn't hurt that we played better football without him either.
This summer we've added two very talented young players to the squad in Anderson and Nani, both internationals for their respective countries, both with bucketloads of potential. Then there is the signing of Owen Hargreaves. After we had spent over a year chasing him, Bayern Munich finally decided to let us have him this summer, and even did so without insinuating that anyone involved in the deal had a profession that included working on a street corner late at night. Most United fans have been thrilled with these signings, although as this is written we are still awaiting the final news on the attempt at signing West Ham's Carlos Tevez. In addition to having been busy bees in the transfer market, the youngsters from our reserves have been impressing on the Asia tour, Chris Eagles especially having caught the fans' attention with his two goals.
So surely all of this means we will win the league.
United have been adding to a team that last season won the league, spending money no one thought would be spent. Chelsea haven't been spending a lot of money, although still having made some signings in Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizzaro and Steve Sidwell all on free transfers, in addition to Florent Malouda for around £13 million. Signings that just make you shake in your boots aren't they? Not being too harsh on Chelsea, I think they have gotten some decent players considering what they have paid for them, or as the case is, not paid. Whether they are players that can contribute to winning the title remains to be seen.
Arsenal as per usual has not really been spending a lot of money. Although Wenger threatens they have yet to finish browsing in the window, it seems they're no closer to signing anyone above average. That said, Wenger has a knack with average players. However, neither Chelsea nor Arsenal are even close to competing with the kings of mediocrity Liverpool. Not only did the club release or sell seven of their painfully average players such as Zenden, Robbie “God” Fowler and the previously so very popular Jerzy Dudek, but they decided to replace these players by signing another seven average players and one player that may be something more in Torres. Once again Liverpool are signing players to compete in Europe. Torres is there to score in Europe so that once again Liverpool can advance to the stage where Liverpool fans and the team themselves assume the trophy is won, and therefore on the day of the final will simply bend over and take it. These are the teams that will be considered along with United to be in competition for the title, some may say Spurs, Blackburn and maybe others could have a shot at finishing in the top four too, however I doubt it many of the pundits and sports journalists will consider them on their short lists for the title until they have gone out repeatedly and proven that they can achieve a top four finish.
There is no doubt in my mind, taking the above transfers into consideration, that the league trophy will stay where it belongs.
After all, we are the best team in England right? We have made the best signings. We play the best football. We have the best stadium, the best manager, the best fans and the best match day pies. Oh yes it's good to be Manchester United and be able to go into the season with no worry except where to put all the trophies we will win this year.
Football is a dangerous game, one day lady luck is smiling on you, the next you cannot find the silver lining for clouds. Underestimating the opposition, overestimating your own strength, miscalculations and mistakes that are unnecessary, can all lead to failure. I hope this won't happen to Manchester United. I hope we can go into the next season like we did the previous, raring to go, craving success and trophies. We might have won the league last season, however this is a new year. When we go out on the field for the first match, third match, twentieth match of the season, we won't be the champions, we will be a team fighting for the title. I hope that the players and fans keep that in mind, and that together, once again, we can cheer and cry together as our trophy remains ours.
Forthcoming Fixtures
After a couple of months with very little action from the reds, we’re set to be spoilt over the next few days with friendlies.
Wednesdays 1st – Inter (H) 8pm
Friday 3rd – Doncaster (A) 7.45pm
Saturday 4th – Peterborough (A) 3pm Hargreaves debut
Sunday 5th – Chelsea (A) 3pm Charity Shield
Wednesday 8th – Glentoran (A) 7.45pm
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I hope you enjoyed the fourteenth edition of The Paper. Any comments about it please leave in the comments thread on this board
Editor: Scott