Winter’s outpourings of late have taken on a surreal Jeff Powellesque tinge, is there really nothing else to write about than trying to put an anti-United spin on every story.
If true the proposal looks an eminently sensible one to us.
‘The Premier League insisted last night that they would block any move by Manchester United to engineer a winter break for themselves by re-arranging Premiership fixtures.
An obvious opportunity for some warm-weather training has presented itself to United following the
draw for the Champions League first-round group games. On Oct 23 United play Olympiakos in Athens and are back in the Mediterranean on Oct 29 when they meet Maccabi Haifa in Cyprus. The match has been moved there because of the sensitive situation in Israel.Rather than make two long trips in a week, senior figures at Old Trafford have contemplated flying direct to Cyprus from Athens and training and resting there for five days before taking on Maccabi. This would involve United seeking to re-arrange their Oct 26 home game with Aston Villa, a suggestion that the Premier League are unhappy with. "We would rule it out," said a spokesman last night.’
‘By pure coincidence, Oct 26 is the same day as Sir Alex Ferguson's record-breaking horse, Rock of Gibraltar, competes in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Arlington Park in Chicago, although there is no suggestion that this is the reason behind United's desire to postpone the Villa fixture,’ adds Winter at the end.