Where do United go after Fergie?

With the news Sir Alex Ferguson will be calling time on his spell at Old Trafford this summer,
Manchester United are set for what could be their most turbulent time for over the 26 years.
By turbulent, that does not mean the Premier League giants are set for a dip in form or success in the coming years but having had so much stability at the helm under Ferguson, it’s going to take some time for adjustment at the Theatre of Dreams.
The combination of the Scottish tactician and chief executive David Gill, who is also set to step aside this summer, has brought about so much success for United on and off the field over the last few decades.
Ferguson has by no means left his beloved United in the lurch and having claimed the Premier League title from rivals Manchester City this season, the Red Devils are very much in a good place.The only issues to deal with will be the Wayne Rooney transfer saga. The England man has requested to leave for a second time and although that had been turned down, it remains to be seen whether he will be in a red shirt at the start of next season.
There will be plenty of speculation as to who will take over from the 71-year-old this summer but again stability has to be the key for this club.
The football betting odds  suggest Everton boss David Moyes is the frontrunner to take over. He has long been tipped to succeed his fellow Scot and the pair have had a close relationship ever since Fergie tried to employ him as his assistant way back in 1999.
Continuity in management has been a key factor in United’s success over the years and just because Ferguson enjoyed a reign which started in the mid-eighties until now, does not mean that like many of their rivals they must go through a host of managers in a few-year stints.
The selection of the next manager at Old Trafford is undoubtedly a huge decision but whoever is given the chance to take the helm at one of the biggest footballing institutions in world football, he will have all the tools and the infrastructure to continue where the great Sir Alex left off.

Fergie expects tough Villa test

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is expecting a tough test when his side take on relegation candidates Aston Villa on Monday.
A victory could see United crowned Premier League champions, depending on if Manchester City lose at Tottenham on Sunday, but it certainly won’t be easy for the Red Devils, with Villa having just as much to play for at the other end of the table. That said punters who bet on Premier League games have probably had their title bets paid out such is the dominance of Fergie’s men this season.
With five games to go Paul Lambert’s men currently sit 17th in the Premier League standings, three points above Wigan but at this stage of the season every point matters, especially with them still play Chelsea before meeting the Latics on what promises to be a dramatic final day of the campaign.

Having lost just once in the last five, confidence is also high within the Villa camp and they certainly won’t be afraid of United, having opened up a 2-0 lead during the teams meeting earlier this season, only to eventually lose 3-2. Some brave punters who bet on football have already backed a shock result at Old Trafford.
Ferguson knows his team won’t have it easy against the plucky Midlanders and expects his players to come under plenty of pressure against one of the country’s most exciting young sides.
"We expect a scrap," the Scot told reporters. "The least you expect is for a team to fight for everything when they're down there.
"Villa showed against Stoke that they have a bit of life about them and they should have won their game against Fulham last week.
"When I saw the structure of those teams, they looked really positive selections. A lot of teams in that situation may pick a team to get something out of the game. Paul Lambert picked a team to win. There is a distinction," he added.

Book Review: 'A Virtual Love' by Andrew Blackman

When this year gets over, I'm going to write a post mentioning the 10 best books I read in 2013, just like last year. I'm not sure this book will make that list, but it is surely a strong contender for the 'Discovery of the Year' honours.

Real & online identities entwine with each other in Andrew Blackman's second novel - 'A Virtual Love'. Jeff Brennan is an average guy at best, working in the IT Support section of a law firm. His namesake is Britain's numero uno political blogger, famous for his balanced views & his anonymity. So when Marie, an avid reader of the blog, assumes that the 'average' Jeff Brennan is 'the Jeff Brennan' & he doesn't correct her perception, a romance develops between the two on the basis of one lie. Jeff thinks he's found the perfect girl when his illustrious namesake decides to make his first public appearance, throwing his life into jeopardy. Will he tell Marie the truth?

Andrew Blackman won the 2008 Luke Bitmead Writers Bursary for his debut novel 'On the Holloway Road' & though I haven't read the book, I've come across favourable reviews from those who have read it. The good news is that 'A Virtual Love' doesn't disappoint either.

The style of narration in this book is not new to me, having read a couple of books written in a similar manner earlier this year. Each chapter is narrated by one particular character in this novel, but what's different is that not one single chapter is narrated by the protagonist Jeff Brennan (the average one). What this ensures is that his character is sketched by all those characters who form a part of his social life - his grandfather Arthur, his girlfriend Marie, his best friend Jon, his work colleagues Annie & Dex & even the namesake blogger gets to voice his side of events. I also liked how Blackman successfully portrays the true nature of Jeff's manipulative friend Marcus through extracts of the latter's Twitter feed. Characterisation in this novel is indeed praiseworthy.

What I liked most about this book was this sense of nostalgia that abounds especially when Jeff's grandfather Arthur takes on the mantle of narrator. I loved how the character talks about his past life as a journalist, how people around him have changed & how he feels like he's still frozen somewhere in an earlier time during his conversations with his grandson. The comments made on the subject of 'generation gap' with references to technology & online social networking through Arthur's character are very relevant to our times & I'm somehow glad that Blackman explores these themes in depth & with immense clarity. That sense of confusion in Arthur's mind regarding the difference in real & online identities of today's youth is immaculately captured in words.

There were also some parts that struck a chord, such as the incident when Jeff tries to teach Arthur about operating the computer, which sort of reminded me of my own efforts to teach my mother about using Facebook. Another one is how Jon feels deserted & left out when Jeff enters into a relationship with Marie. Thumbs up to the way these underlying sentiments are expressed.

What annoyed me about this book was its ending. It's not that the author plays too much with it, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it. It seemed like it was too abrupt & that the author just wanted to give a rather swift conclusion to the whole affair. I also thought that the plot loses a bit of steam in the second half, which was frustrating.

3.5 to 4 stars for this well-written novel by Andrew Blackman. It's not an extraordinary book, but I'd say you read it for the sense of nostalgia & because it is so much more than just real identities getting entangled with virtual ones. Recommended.

P.S. I won an eBook version of the novel in a personal giveaway by the author through his blog, and I solemnly state that it does not affect my review of the book in any way.