Is It Really the Great British Weather?

May 27th in Rome: After a poor showing in the Champions League Final, Man United begin to face the realisation that the one chance they had of retaining the world player of the year has faded quicker than the US and UK economies did in 2009. 

The words, "I love this club its my home, I want to stay" still ringing around every United supporters ears. The truth is, secret agreement or not, if United had become the first club to ever defend the Champions League trophy things could have been so different.

Luckily United lost that game. Had they not they would probably still have Ronaldo, a player who seems to change his mind and his loyalties more often than his pink shirts and spray on shorts.

There's also the added bonus of an £80million transfer fee and the chance for Rooney to finally fulfill his destiny as the driving force of a United team full of youth, potential and a hunger for more trophies.

The future is extremely bright it would seem, Ronaldo has realised his dream and is no longer casting a shadow over the club and United are still United. So why does it feel so flat to be a United fan right now?

Is it the fact that we lost a Champions League Final or that we have just lost one of the best players the world has ever seen? Or is it due to the constant snubbing that we seem to get from the top players in the world transfer market??

As an avid United fan, I have become increasingly miffed over the years by foreign players that refuse to recognise United as one of the (two) biggest clubs in the world if not the biggest.

I've lost count of the amount of times that a player (or his agent?) has stated that they have no interest in signing for United only to read five years later, in their autobiography that they wish they had joined SAF (Gazza, Shearer, 'fat' Ronaldo  etc...).

Is it a stigma that the media have engraved into the minds of every non-United person after years of battling with Sir Alex Ferguson, is it the little green eyed monsters that seem to hate to see people succeed, is it, as many claim, the Great British climate or is it something much deeper?

No one can argue that over the years, we have all witnessed SAF build countless teams from scratch and each time, take them to the brink of potential European domination only to see the very players that he has discovered, undo all of his hard work by leaving, usually for Real Madrid.

Where are the Giggs', Scholes, Nevilles, Rooney's, Gerrard's (I say that through gritted teeth but he is loyal to the cause and a class act). Are today's footballers really only interested in the money or the weather?

I'd really like to think not but when the three top rated right midfielders in the world all decide to go to the same club (Kaka, Ronaldo & poss Ribbery) they must expect to play a large part of their season from the bench so it simply cannot be about the football.

Now, it may sound like it, but let me assure you I'm not complaining. As a United fan, I have the privilege of watching some of the worlds greatest talents every week, from Rooney, to Carrick, from Vidic to Evra.

I also get to witness what loyalty is, in players like Scholes, Giggs, Brown, O'Shea, Fletcher & Park. I suppose i'm venting a frustration that all United fans feel and that is, each time we are on the verge of European greatness some kind of divine intervention stops us taking that next all important step.

Over the years there have been snubs from Gazza, Shearer, Ronaldinho, (fat) Ronaldo, Torres to name but a few. Each of these players added to the squad of its time would have brought the confidence that United needed to challenge the European records of Stale Madrid and AC Milan.

Now we face being snubbed by Tevez, Kaka, Ribbery, Villa and Benzema all in one summer. That coupled with the fact that Ronaldo has already forced a move away from the club tells me SAF may need to start again if he wishes to have a chance to dominate Europe.

I know we will be there or there abouts again next season but the fact is it should be two steps forward each season rather than one forward and two back.

I'm not worried, I know Ferguson will go out and find another diamond in the rough just like he did with Ronaldo but it would be nice, if, for just one season we could sign the world player of the year rather than nuturing them for the likes of Real to poach in two years time.