Second Big One the primary goal this year

GREETINGS chaps, and occasional chap-esse: we can be this familiar now, can we not?

After all, I have just realised that it’s solipsistic-anniversary time: this is the tenth United season we are kicking off together here. And curiously we find ourselves in exactly the same spot as when we started back in August 1999, with United preparing to defend double English and European championships.

So I’ll ask the same question I asked back then in column 1: “is this season to be a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ as one of Fergie’s favourite phrases has it?”