As this is my first post on not606 which has arisen out of the demise of 606, I thought it would be fitting to post an article referring to the changing times, not just at United but within football in this country in general too. Firstly, starting with United and the retirement of Paul Scholes an absolute legend of the game and respected by all his peers. With Scholes' departure following on from Gary Neville's retirement earlier in the season, the 'class of 92' on which United's dominance over the last couple of decades has been forged is virtually all gone. Ryan Giggs still keeps the flame burning, but even his influence is rapidly declining in a team that wants to move forward and compete with Barca. Of course we have seen many legendary players leave united over the years, but this is the first time in over 20 years that Ferguson will attempt to build a team that isn't based around a single member of that class. Elsewhere we have seen some notable changes in the composition of football in this country. Arsenal seem to have realised that this current team is never going to challenge and we are either going to witness a change in policy by Wenger or the decline of Arsenal from contenders to true also rans. Meanwhile the Sheiks cash at City has turned them into a genuine force in the game, the awesome list of stars in their team right now and the way they finished the second half of the season, combined with the huge resources available to the manager means they will be going nowhere. Both Chelsea and United will have their work cut out to maintain their dominance at the top of the table, although I still think the eventual winner of the league next year will be one of those two. The next few years in the Premier League are going to be the most unpredictable we have ever seen, the mid table teams are so much stronger than in the past and there is genuine competition for the top 4 positions. Also the teams coming up are prepared to play with an open mind, we have seen Wigan produce quality football and maintain Premier League status on a modest budget. Swansea who Martinez previously managed have just achieved promotion and play football in a manner that will catch a few complacent teams out especially early in the season. Overall I am genuinely excited about club football in this country, I think our league is the strongest in the world even if we do not have the best team and I can't wait to see how things develop as we head into the new season.
