Student Fees...WTF

Unless you've spent the last month in a cave (or you're simply not from England...) then you must have heard about the emerging crisis concerning student university fees.

The problem? In the face of the decimating deficit currently taking a firm grip upon the government's spending, the Coalition has decided to utilise a Del-Boy like money-making scheme in order to balance those books. English University fees will almost TREBLE from an already extortionate £3,500 a year (approximately) and that's not taking into account the other expenses that come with university life (accomodation, Pot Noodles, beer).

The (other) problem? The other cuts that have been made so far, the Police service for example, have obviously been met with upset and concern for those involved over the government's demands for decreased spending, however are (understandably) too busy and afraid to lose their jobs if they take to the streets of London and protest. Students however, are a different story. They have a massive amount of free time on their hands and are only too happy to give up watching Family Guy re-runs and having sponsored Wankathons in order to 'stick it to the man' and get protesting.

The (next) problem? As with any protest, there are two types of people whom attend; the majority (protesters) and the minority (dickheads). And without wishing to sound too much like an Attenborough documentary, the Dickheads, in their natural enviroment, experience an excess of stupidity and seemingly forget the cause that made them protest in the first place. This results in ritualistic acts of Dickhead prowess; dropping fire extinguishers off buildings into crowds and attacking the Royal Family (who definitely cause all of the problems in the world...clearly) being just two examples shown during the recent protests.
The consequences of this Dickhead infestation is the main problem for students however, as naturally, all media attention diverts to the minority and as such, the inital (justified) cause that thousands of students peacefully protested over is forgotten. Nice one Dickheads...

The (final) problem? The backlash now begins. Students who were previously neutral in the matter become tarnished in the media through the actions of the Dickhead minority and counteract this scapegoating by rebelling against the initial cause of the protests; the increased student fees. Therefore, what the country is left with is a problem that the population have created purely on their own, whilst the unfair, ridiculous actions of this joke of a government go unnoticed.

The country has forgotten that students needn't pay for university at all, take a look at Scotland. And yet suddenly, increasing fees to levels which are previously unhead of is an acceptable course of action for a government which no one voted for. Yet all that is focused upon in the minds of the populate are the events which occured during the protests, rather than the instigating factor. Put simply, England is not focused enough at the present time to mount a protest on government issues that is effective enough to cause change.

Wanye Rooney. WTF.

This is my first ever blog and what a great time to be doing it, especially as a Manchester United fan. Up until a week ago, I was concerned about Rooney's disasterous lack of form since being dramatically stretchered off during last season's Champion's League quater final against Bayern Munich. Now however, I'm more concerned with the fact that that fateful night may have been the last time he played for the Red Devils with any sort of passion or drive.

Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, after six years of service because he doesn't like the current situation regarding the club's transfer policy (i.e. there isn't really one at all). Perhaps the hardest thing for United fan like myself to swallow is that, simply, Rooney's reasoning wrong. Here's why.

1. None of the "Top 3" clubs (Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal) made any significant squad changes in the Summer transfer window. Respectively, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, Ramieres and Maroune Chakakh were the biggest signings of those three clubs. This suggests that maybe the problem is not so much with the club, as Rooney suggests, but that only the richest clubs (Manchester City and Real Madrid seem to be the main offenders) can afford to pay for 'buzzname' players.

2. Alex Ferguson is not a manager who buys ready-made world class players often, rather he buys good players and turn them into world class ones. Evra, Vidic, Ronaldo, Tevez (and maybe Nani judging by recent performances). Furthermore, United are the best English club at bringing talent through the academy ranks. The club are still reaping the benefits of Scholes and Giggs and can look forward to the forthcoming services of Gibson, Evans and Cleverley.

3. According to Sir Alex's initial press conference regarding Rooney, the player made his decision to leave in mid August, right after the world cup. How can Rooney predict at that point that United would not compete for trophies in the coming season, bearing in mind that the previous year, they lost the League by a mere point to Chelsea, were the best performing English club in the Champions League and won the Carling Cup.


4. Buying ready made football superstars does not guarantee success. Take Real Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid have forged a reputation for attempting to buy success at any cost, yet continually they are outdone by their rivals Barcelona who contrastingly have a modest transfer policy (David Villa aside). Barca have produced from their own ranks the likes of Messi, Bojan, Pedro, Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta and look far more stable than the free spending Real Madrid.

However, a player who does not want to be part of United's future is not welcome at the club and it is clear that cashing-in time has arrived for David Gill. So who will be tasked with filling Wayne's shoes when he finally leaves. Assuming his replacement will be a big money purchase, here's my shortlist...

Fernando Torres - Not a good move in my opinion but this was the first name to be throw around in the papers as Rooney's successor. Personally, I don't see the use in replacing one striker who's lost his touch through injury with another one and I don't think this deal will go down well with fans. Or indeed the player himself, who will surely have his heart set on Barca?

Luis Suarez - Another name banded about in this morning's press. A much more viable option in my opinion, Suarez is young but experienced and would likely be willing to make the step up from Ajax to a bigger club. He's a proven goalscorer in all competitions and would suit Berbatov's style of play brilliantly.

Pato - AC Milan's young Brazilian would be my No.1 choice to replace Wayne. He's mightily young and not as consistent or experienced as Suarez but Ferguson has built his reputation on seeing potential and this kid could be one of the best of his age in the world. United's squad already have a fair Brazillian contingent at Old Trafford and surely a high profile transfer such as this would silence any critics.

Andy Carroll/Theo Walcott/Gabby Agbonlahor - What with this season's brand spanking new rules regarding home grown player quotas, it may be necessary for Rooney's replacement to also be an Englishman...but as you can see, choices are limited...

So there we go...my two pennies on the current Wayne Rooney saga and some food for thought on replacements. To conclude, as one banner in Old Trafford read during last night's game; "Coleen may have forgiven you...but we will not".