Good morning and happy Monday to you. Matt’s back to start your week and it’s a new season!

Season 6? How did that happen? I’m full of hope for this season. Last season ended with us scrabbling to find a European place after we finished 5th in the league and the ‘real’ Man United beat us to the FA Cup.

Hopefully we can relight that spark that saw us rise through the divisions and pick up a clutch of trophies along the way. To get things off on the right foot, I tie David Brown up on a new contract. We can’t really afford it, and after his showing last season, he probably doesn’t deserve it, but I made him the man he is today, so I’d better stick by him, or this all Counts for nothing.

Is there anything more annoying that seeing the updates go past and 5 offers going in for a guy you have on your wanted list?

Amongst all the offers from abroad and at home, he chooses to pitch up with Gary Nevillle at Aston Villa.

To show even greater faith in young David, I let Rodders go to Juventus

It’s a decent sum of cash that we badly need. JR did ok for us, but he’s 31 this season and the timing felt right.

We take our customary pre-season friendly with relegated City as a chance to test some of the fringe players. Schmeichel Jnr in goal looks like he might be worth keeping around. Danny Wallace Jnr looks Keen in front of goal too.

Fergie fails in the Charity Shield as new champions Liverpool look like a force to be reckoned with.

A new contract may have cheered him up but I

Irwin junior joins the ranks. The boy can tackle.

Here’s how we line up for the start of the season. Notman is still not a fit man following last seasons injury and he’s not really set the place alight so we’ll see if Veron can do something more, creative, in midfield.

Well, another injury to Sharpe puts an end to that experiment and it looks like it might be a long season. Even with a man advantage we can’t seem to Russell up an equaliser.

Still, maybe it’ll be alright. This time with a man advantage we don’t fool around. Blomky (he doesn’t like that name) weighs in with a double and Erik puts the cherry on the cake. Disappointed with that late consolation though.

Third game in a row with a red card, we were two nil down when Hall went off but somehow we managed to get back on level terms so my head is in my hands when Palace earn a last minute penalty. Matt Jansen fluffs his lines in the final throes and Nevland steals us a point.

Another Nevland hat trick and another red card, this time for Spurs

We made it into Europe after all and our first trip will be to the home nation of Andrei Kanchelskis. Thankfully these are the days before Isaak Okoronkwo and Julius Aghahowa…

Fab swaps Monaco for Juventus to team up with Rodders. We weren’t even in the running for this one, still I’ve got Mark Bosnich, Roy Carroll and Pete Jnr to call upon…

While miss out on Fab, we do bring Richie Wellens back to the club. He can play on the left of defense which is just as well given how often Lee Sharpe gets injured…

Owen gets off the mark. Brown will have a fight on for his place when he recovers from injury

Wellens looks like he’s slotted straight back in after so long on Man United’s sidelines. A second clean sheet is pleasing too.

We’re splashing the Rodlund cash faster than the accountants can count it. I’m hoping it’s not too late for JC to match his potential.

It’s a cracking start in Europe after an early set back. It has 1-1 written all over it until Nevland pounces twice in the final quarter.

But back down with a bump in Norfolk after a promising start. Looks lie we’re on first name terms with their strikers. Veron there with his customary single goal for the season.

David Brown marks his return to the side with absolutely flip all contribution. David May is jubilant. Wolves always seem to do well against us.

He does however, help us through the 1st round of the EUFA cup. Shak only get their tactics right in the final minute.

Portugal next, Aye Coimbra!

Brown is finding form and we come away from the north east a bit cheerier than late. Everything happens in 4 crazy minutes.

The accountants demand we balance the books, so Berg is off to Everton

He did ok for us really, but again £1.8m for a 33 year old is good business

Our first meeting of the season with United ends in a stalemate but I’ll take it. Only 4 of their team were there at the start of this save

It’s all Academica by half time in the first leg, playing 3 at the back seems to benefit our defenders, hopefully it’s enough to make the 3rd round.

We don’t seem to like playing after European adventures, but we were at home so no excuses really. Paul Teather is ex-United so this defeat bites, but Blackburn, as always, are a solid outfit

The League Cup, will I ever win this trophy?

Sweet, sweet Erik Nevland, where would I be without this guy and his goals?

It feels like we’ve been 5th for ages now. We’re only 5 points off top, but we are conceding goals at an alarming rate. We can’t let that gap get any bigger. Big Shout out to Erik Nevland who has 19 goals already in just 17 games. In comparison, David Brown has 2 goals in 8. God knows where we would be without Erik.

I’ll sign off this week with some sad news, ex-United youth team player Alan McLoughlin sadly passed away last week at the young age of 54. In the game Alan starts off at Portsmouth and he also scored the goal that took EIRE to USA 94.

In this save Alan retired at the end of Season 3, rest easy Alan…

See you next time to see if we can get David Brown firing. Michael Owen is waiting in the wings, cheers!