United to sign the new Ralph Milne...

How can i not blog my favourite beautiful game...alas Red Devils

It's that time of the season again, the summer transfer window has flung wide open with every Tom, Dick and Harry being linked to my fav club, Manchester United. As soon as the last whistle went out on this sunday Euro 2008 finale (Spain vs Germany), expect the transfer gossip to move up into overdrive. The tabloid press and their spin doctors have only been warming up - it is going to get a lot worse, by the end of the silly transfer window your nerves are likely to be shredded. The news has so far has centred on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, with the focus very much on outgoing talk.

If Ronaldo is sold, which I would love to materialise, United will have to replace him. Then for the next god knows how many years we will have suffer the press labelling targets as 'the new Ronaldo'. It was seemingly ever thus. United have always been associated with great players, when George Best retired, we were told that Sammy McIlroy was to be the new Georgie, then it was Norman Whiteside, even last year a young Irish lad named Rob Brady was burdened with the label and of course comparisons have been made with Ronaldo and Georgie.

The thing is the tabloid press know that we fans want to read that our club have found a diamond. The media play on our love of all things great where the beautiful game is concerned, particularly if the player in question is being strongly linked to your beloved club, they know that we fans are especially receptive at this time of year, we are like mares in season, waiting to be serviced by the next big juicy transfer rumour.

But for every football fan, there is always a nightmare scenario; you dream that this new signing will be every bit as good as hype that surrounds this shining new star, but often when reality bites, you realise that instead of signing the next Ronaldo you have in fact signed a bit of a donkey in the form of the new Ralph Milne.

Folks, sans Ronaldo, we can look forward to that for the rest our days, for now let us hope that Ronaldo stays for a while longer so we can savour the real thing and not have to endure silly headlines. Only in the world of blogging can you get away with "United to sign the new Ralph Milne?..."

Great expectations:

Keith Gillespie - another likened to Georgie, but like his fellow compatriot suffered demons off the field play.

Djemba-Djemba - so bad they named him twice, likened by some to the next Keano.

Jordi Cruyff - burdened by his own namesake.I'm certain there's many more, send in your names of former players who were either labelled as the next 'xxxxx' or those who failed to live up to expectations.