Even Dimitar Berbatov himself would likely concede that he has failed to live up to expectations in a Manchester United shirt. While there have been flashes of brilliance from the mercurial Bulgarian, for £30m the United fans are entitled to expect a fair amount more from a man who shone at both Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham.

Frequently left on the bench during the 2009-10 season as Sir Alex Ferguson preferred to go with the prolific Wayne Rooney as a lone striker, many speculated that Berbatov could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer with Bayern Munich and AC Milan mooted as possible destinations.

Sir Alex has stuck by his man, however, and the early season signs suggest that Berbatov is ready to prove his worth after an impressive start to the season. His goal in the Community Shield – a delightful lobbed finish after some great interplay with Luis Nani – was met with a warm reception from his United teammates and may well be looked back on at the end of the season as the moment when his Manchester United career properly began.

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They were the originally Premier League big spenders in the early 1990s but those heady days could return to Blackburn thanks to a proposed takeover.

Back in the early days of the Premier League local businessman-made-good Jack Walker pledged to turn his local side, then still in the old division two, into the champions of England.

He transformed the ramshackle stadium into one of the country’s finest and funded the signings of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton as Rovers burst into the top division and finally topped the tree back in 1995.

The club have never come close to scaling those heights since, even dropping into the Championship for two years at the turn of the century. But they have since cut their cloth accordingly, establishing themselves in the top flight as a solid well run outfit.

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It’s hardly the most shocking piece of news to break this summer, but Manchester United will not make anymore new signings this transfer window.

According to manager Sir Alex Ferguson he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal and as such will not be bringing anyone else in to assist their premier league tournament odds.

United have only made two signings this summer – Chris Smalling who came from Fulham and Javier Hernandez who joined from Mexican side Chivas.

Although these two players are unlikely to break into the first time next season, it seems Ferguson thinks his side have what it takes to remain competitive in the Premier League, even if the likes of Manchester City are spending tens of millions.

He said: “I cannot speak about other clubs. We are comfortable with the squad we have got.”
Whether United fans feel the same way remains to be seen. Last season the side mainly relied on Wayne Rooney to keep them in the title race, with his superb form carrying the side even when they looked to have lost their way.

However, most outsiders and even those who normally concentrate on championship winning odds felt that Ferguson would need to attract fresh faces if his side were to challenge again and, given the lack of activity, there are bound to be those who doubt United’s ability to battle for silverware this season.

Admittedly, Chelsea are yet to make any high-profile signings this summer, but it seems likely there will be at least one big name arriving at Stamford Bridge before the end of August.

United though, will have to rely on an aging squad – the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are surely on their last legs. If Rooney is unable to regain his form of last season or, worse, gets injured then Ferguson could face a real struggle.

Five years have passed since Arsenal last won a major trophy, and it’s just possible that in what seems increasingly likely to be Wenger’s last year with the Gunners, the Frenchman may be battling not only to win a trophy for the team, but also to secure his legacy as Arsenal’s greatest ever manager.

Had Wenger led the Gunners to their first Champions League success back in 2006, or successfully defended the Premier League trophy following any of his three successes, he could have walked away knowing that few Gooners or English Premier League betting pundits would be able to dispute his status as the Gunners’ greatest ever manager.

However, after five seasons that have represented a disappointing trophy drought, Wenger is under pressure to live up to the ‘in Arsene we trust’ belief held by Gooners. With this trust becoming more and more strained, Wenger knows that his ability to replace veteran defenders Sol Campbell and William Gallas with another Vermaelen rather than a Cygan, could decide his legacy.

With Wenger himself openly admitting to those who bet on football the need to bring in defensive reinforcements, and aware of the growing sense of frustration from fans who have failed to see the Gunners reach even a major final since 2008, this is the time to deliver success in any of the 4 major trophies.

With Wenger unlikely to change his strategy of using the Carling Cup as a training competition for youth players, the FA Cup is a competition that many Arsenal fans will be hoping he takes more seriously this season.

Following semi-final disappointment in 2009, with Arsenal fans bewildered by Wenger’s decision not to pick the in-form Andrei Arshavin, and a humiliating 3-1 defeat at Stoke last season, during which a vastly inexperienced Arsenal side came grossly unstuck at the Britannia stadium, Wenger may need to reconsider how he views one of the world’s greatest domestic competitions.

The stories and images of Wayne Rooney out on the lash with Coleen and friends were the last thing United fans wanted to see ahead of the new season.

With so much depending on the 24-year-old, his night out until the small hours and images of him smoking a crafty cigarette and urinating in public are not acceptable for a player of Rooney’s stature – both as a footballer and as a role model.

The press are clearly out to get as many member of the England squad as possible following their dismal showing in South Africa so, as supporters, we have to be aware of their agenda.
But you would think Rooney, just back after an extended post World Cup break, would give the nights out a miss as he prepares for the new season. The football betting odds make him one of the favourites to be top scorer, but he will need to be in peak condition.

He has confessed before that he has had problems with his weight and has returned for pre-season out of shape in the past – even in his Everton days.

So that should place further emphasis on his fitness work. Plus it doesn’t take a doctor to tell you that smoking is bad for your health, especially if you’re an athlete.

Rooney remains United’s talisman and main goalscoring threat, despite the impressive early form of Mexican Javier Hernandez, and his form is key to United’s attempts to reclaim the title from Chelsea this season. The Premier League odds only make the side second favourites, after all.

We can only hope he has learnt a lesson from this week, bins the fags and concentrates on what he does best – scoring goals.