Summer Soap Operah

     I feel like the summer transfer window turns into a show like Nip/Tuck. Lots of craziness happening for no reason. Well, here it is again, the drama of the summer transfer windo. Who will go where etc etc. To be honest I love it. Its pretty exciting to try and figure out who each team is going to by. Sometimes this becomes a bit ridiculous though. It seems that the British media will print anything whether it is true or not. This makes it near impossible to believe anything the papers say untill a player is actually confirmed by the club to be signed. Still it is interesting to follow.
    In the last two years or so the market has become increasingly inflated. This is probably why managers such as Ferguson and Wenger are nopt going out and spending on big names. Although the latter doesnt seem to invest in an reliable players no matter the cost. Still I understand where they are coming from. United just signed Phil Jones, a u21 defender from Blackburn Rovers for a price quoted to be upwards of 20 million pounds. As impressed as I am with the player and the signing, I feel this is quite a price for such an unexperienced player. He could turn out to be another John Terry but he also could turn out to be an average defender. It is this chance that makes many of Ferguson's spending decisions from the last few years make sense. For instance, last summer, United were rumoured to have been interested in the Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano. However they signed Mexican striker Javier Hernandez for probably under half the price of what the Brazilian would have cost. Chicharito turned out to be the signing of the season and was a great success. I highly doubt if the Fabiano would have performed as well. This signing makes so much more sense then dropping a ton of cash on a big name when you can get the same quality for so much less. Ofcourse big names such as Wesley Sneijder are exciting and fun to hear about. However, these players usually aren't the right by for United. Look at the history. A lot of United's great players in the past were either from their own academy or surprise purchases.
   This brings me to another topic which has been fairly prevalent over the past few years. Every United fan has seen the green and gold scarves dotted through out Old Trafford on match day. In fact they have become increasingly more prominent. The Glazer's ownership has been controversial from the get go. Big money, corporate American owners. The initial negative reaction the new owners is not unfamiliar to other clubs. The transition of ownership from the homegrown benevolent buisiness man to the massive corporate ownership did not begin with the Glazer take over. It is just another side effect of globalization. In fact these side effects have been positive ones. While ticket prices have increased (which is always a major issue with the working class fan), violence involved with the sport has decreased and Stadium safety and quality has increased. Still the Glazer family is the main point of attack in major movement by United fans. The biggest complaint is against the debt that Manchester United has aquired because of the Glazer ownership. These fans believe that this debt is also effecting United's spending ability in the transfer market. Howeveer, I believe the lack of big spending in the transfer market is less because of the Glazer debt and actually because Ferguson believes there is no value in the market. He has come out and said this himself and he is right. The inflation in the market is becoming more and more horrendous. Still I think Fergie is clever enough to navigate these problems and secure the right talent at a price he is willing to pay. When it comes down to it, as long as Ferguson contros the club like he does at the moment, I wont have a major problem with the United ownership. Let's not forget United has won 4 EPL titles, 3 League Cups and 1 Champions League trophy. So, they have not been unsucessful by anymeans under the Glazers considering the lack of silverware in the few years leading up to their take over.
    All things aside I am sure it will turn out to be another dramatic summer transfer window. I for one am looking forward to seeing who Fergie signs up for next season.