Speechless in Seattle

Ferguson is retiring hurt from the transfer market, or so he says, not because of the Russian invasion, but because he failed to sign Ronaldinho. PSG were apparently offended by various Fergie-like ultimatums, and the player himself wasn't keen on Manchester anyway..

Ferguson, as slippery as any politician, now changes tack and says he's got the ideal midfield anyway. And maybe he has when they're all fit and well. But when the going gets tough what's the betting Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs will be showing signs of wear and tear?

If that happens, it'll all come down to a gamble as to whether 20-year-old David Bellion is ready for the big time.

On such hopes does the world's biggest club launch itself into yet another campaign which, with Ferguson seemingly livid at the very first semi-tricky question he's been asked, promises to be an explosive one.

A United reject isn't good enough for Ranieri

Last week it looked like the Pini Zahavi-inspired campaign to get Juan Sebastian Veron to Chelsea had foundered, but a week is as long a time in football as it is in politics. The torch has been re-lit on the back of some encouraging words from Claudio Ranieri, though I suspect the Veron he likes is the one he knew at Lazio.

I doubt Ranieri has seen much of him at Old Trafford, and if he had that his enthusiasm would have survived.

Only one question need be asked. Given the vacuum at Old Trafford after Beckham's departure, if Veron is any good why isn't Ferguson building his new midfield around him? Veron didn't start against Celtic and looks likely to be as much of a bit-part player next season as he was last.

That's unless Alex's friend Pini can pull off a trick. And he's trying, believe me he's trying. But wiser heads will know that if Ferguson has lost confidence in Veron there's no reason for anyone at Stamford Bridge to have any. And at £14million and £100,000 a week, Veron doesn't come cheap.

Sky's no longer the limit

While the papers are full of transfer speculation, a drama with massive consequences for English football continues to be played out in Brussels.

A briefing this week from a Whitehall panjandrum suggests no one now believes the EU can be kept out of the new TV deal.

The Premiership obviously doesn't because they have unbundled the deals on offer, and opened up the possibility of live top flight matches being shown on terrestrial television.

But what if Sky buys up all the rights again? Would that be a provocation to Brussels to start yet more legal action.

But if Sky lets others in, what does that do to the value of the product, and hence the money flowing into the coffers of the clubs?

My all-seeing friend took the view that as long as Sky had the 106 key matches, it didn't matter if the lesser games were shown elsewhere, and wouldn't devalue the product too much. After all, he said, here we show only 30 per cent of Premiership games while in Europe around 50 per cent of top games are televised. So there's real scope for an increase.

I hope he's right. But I don't think he is.

Exclusivity is what Sky pays big bucks for. Take that away and the danger is a lot of the cash runs away too. And even Sky isn't making the money it anticipated out of all parts of its offering.

You can now sign up for pay-per-view games at £1 per month - that's 25p per match. Not bad for a product Sky had hoped would bring in £8 a game.

Jimmy's still got the Blues

After being thrilled by Jimmy Hasselbaink's first two seasons at the Bridge, I hoped for some evidence against Lazio that the old divine spark had been rekindled. It hasn't been.

Jimmy looked as out of sorts as he did last term. Claudio Ranieri apparently believes Hasselbaink's got another great season in him. I disagree. Chelsea need a worldclass striker in the Owen, Henry, van Nistelrooy mould. Without one the next campaign could still be iffy, despite the strengthening of the defence and midfield.

Seeing Jimmy waste a stream of chances almost ruined last season for me. I don't want to go through that again, but I might have to.

Test attraction is a turn-off

The frenetic pace of international cricket - the fixtures, not the way the game is played - is hitting the box office.

After fiddle-faddling around for most of the season with an uncompetitive and, in political terms, embarrassing visit by the Zimbabweans and a hotch-potch of one-day internationals, the main attraction of five Tests against South Africa is left to the fag end of the season. They've all to be played in barely a month.

Advanced sales for Edgbaston were only 11,000 for the entire match. Can anyone doubt the long-term decline of cricket has been speeded up by this fixture congestion?

Morris implies bad behaviour was to blame for his departure from Chelsea, but that's not so.

He was released because, despite being given every chance in the second half of the season, he just wasn't good enough against top opposition.

Maybe a change of lifestyle will allow him to remedy some of the faults in his game on the training ground. But I'm not holding my breath.