
Talking of being back, I had just arrived in the hotel room in Brussels when my fellow traveller announced "I think United have signed Owen!", not sure whether to believe him or not I text my dad immediately and then tried to catch a glimmer of information on Sky News in between breaks in the Roddick vs Murray Semi-final. And behold I eventually caught sight of the sports news midway through the 2nd set, and Owen was indeed having a medical at Old Trafford. "No don't worry" I jested to the third of our travelling party "Owen's not signing for United, he's having his medical". Several hours later and Michael Owen had signed for Manchester United, oh to see the look on Liverpool fan's faces.
For true neutrals and United fans you can't help but feel pretty happy for Owen. A man who has constantly given his all for his country and who constantly tries to pick himself up from injuries that would have burried lesser men is back where he belongs, not in the Championship with the laughing stock of Newcastle United but with the Premier league champions, not that he's ever been at a club to hold that title before.
No doubt though the arrival of the man from Chester was a shock and with their Manchester rivals seemingly using money as toilet paper it surely leaves cynics questioning United's ability to spend big money for big players. Enter Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, in the scheme of things not exactly the world's best known or most talented players. Of course the Red Devils have also lost arguably two world class players in the hard working fan's favourite, Carlos Tevez, and of course the world's most expensive football player, Cristiano Ronaldo. Suddenly United's team has lost 2 world class players worth up to 50 goals a season and gained one 'washed up' striker, an exciting winger who helped Wigan to the brink of Europe and an almost unkown young French winger, in total last season scoring a grand total of 14 goals between them in league matches. Is it possible that Sir Alex would willingly throw away that many goals from his team?
Of course it has to be noted that United are still continually linked with strikers such as Huntelaar, Fabiano and Aguero, and with still almost all of the £80 million from Ronaldo's transfer who could count out more signings coming in. But would United really spend the £20 odd million for either of the first two or the £40 million for Maradonna's son-in-law when they already have Rooney, Berbatov and Owen, along with their promising youngsters, Macheda and Wellbeck? That money would certainly be better used for a hard tackling central midfielder, with Hargreaves future uncertain, we've heard rumours from everything between him being ready to come back now to him having to retire, the Reds are short on true grit in the centre of the park, no matter how good Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher and co are.
But back to my holiday, and no I'm not going to suggest I have a comparisson with my holiday and what United need to do next season. I am though a holiday reader and figure myself a student of sport, not only in the literal sense but also by reading about many sports. Over a year ago I was reading Ed Smith's "What Sport Tells Us About Life", a great book on it's own, in it Smith talks lots about "Moneyball", a book about Baseball. Now I have no great knowledge of baseball but quite enjoy watching it so decided that Moneyball would be a good book to further my knowledge of the sport and its culture. I read some of Moneyball before departing for my holiday but whilst on holiday I read the majority of it and more to the point the juicy bits.
Moneyball tells the story of a team with very little money taking on the teams with lots and almost winning. Ok ok, stop shouting, I know this is nothing to do with United. But it's more in the science of it all that interests me. Billy Beane, the manager of the team involved in Moneyball, loses his main players on what are free transfers because they can't afford there wages once big teams come after them, and replaces them with not a like for like replacement but with several players who make up the different parts of the one he has just lost, in short- "the sum of all parts is greater than the whole". Ronaldo's goals will never be replicated by one player, and certainly not one winger but United can replicate his goals as a team. Returning to a 4-4-2 will allow Berbatov and specifically Rooney to score more goals, add in Owen's goals and more from a midfield which has often been too busy covering Ronaldo to score and you are someway towards Ronaldo's goals. Add in Valencia and Obertan's ability to run with the ball and cross and your creating more team chances than Ronaldo ever did.
One last word on Owen. I for one can't wait till the day Owen comes on as a substitute for United at Anfield. The boo's will ring out! Owen inside will smile and say to himself "they hate me, they really hate me". Owen loved Liverpool, they made him the striker he was and got him into the England squad. Liverpool, or more to the point Rafa Benitez, sold him, got rid of him! Then they didn't want him back, both on his return from Madrid and in his horrible time at Newcatle. Finally with Newcastle relegated and a Liverpool hero falling into the Championship Rafa didn't want to know, he made no approach. And so the world's best team did, and Owen signed. Liverpool fan's will talk of loyalty, of playing for the enemy, maybe Liverpool should look at the enemy within.
Meanwhile Sir Alex will continue with his scientific approach to football, replace the parts not the sum, continue winning and continue pulling the rabbit out of the hat. Elsewhere in Madrid, Ronaldo will be happy, £80 million pounds were payed for him, he'll like that, people will adore him and think of him as the saviour, he'll love that! United will replace him with a bunch of players no where near as good as him, he'll be a little baffled but he knows Sir Alex well enough to not be surprised. Batter Up!
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