They do not run on to the pitch, have a kick of the ball, then watch to see what comes of it.Real Madrid have shown themselves as completely low class, even inferring that United aren’t a “big club” like them. Lucky us, the mighty Real Madrid want to buy one of our players.Ferguson wanted rid of Beckham and van Nistelrooy, so was more than happy when Real Madrid came sniffing. When they bought Gabriel Heinze off us last summer for £1.1 million more than we paid for him, and £1.2 million more than Liverpool had offered, I felt relieved more than proud. More fool them.However, is it the talk of “big clubs” to kiss arse of the players they have interest in? Admiring Ronaldo is one thing, to put him on a pedestal is something different.“For Madrid it is an honour to know that a player like him thinks that playing at Real would be good,” said Calderon. “We are proud to know that he would like to be with us.”Whilst it’s undeniable that Ronaldo is a great player, essentially, that’s all he is. Sign of Increasing Optimism Brightens Gloom as Americans Gauge Outlook forU.S Recovery Anger at U.S. Banking System High, Credit Expected to Remain Tight: AICPA Poll NEW YORK, April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Even as many Americans hold apessimistic view of the U.S.

economy, there is a sign of rising optimismsuggesting some may be seeing prospects for an end to the recession, accordingto a recent survey commissioned by the American Institute of Certified PublicAccountants and conducted by Harris Interactive. Nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, say they are “pessimistic” about theU.S. economic outlook over the next 12 months, a slight decline from 54percent who were pessimistic in the same survey this time last year. At thesame time, the proportion of survey respondents who said they were”optimistic” or “very optimistic” about the economy’s future rose to 44percent in the latest survey, up from 41 percent a year ago. “After months of bad news and declining economic indicators, we see someevidence that Americans are starting to look for reasons to be optimistic evenif they expect the recession to continue,” said Carl George, chair of theAICPA’s National CPA Financial Literacy Commission “That is a good sign. Wehope to see continued improvement in optimism as the substantial federalpolicies put in place begin to lift the economy and confidence is restored.”The annual survey by the AICPA is being released today.

It was designed togauge how the economy is affecting individuals’ personal financial well-being.The survey found a 79 percent majority hold negative views of the U.S bankingsystem. Twenty-eight percent expect the $700 billion in bailout funds in theTroubled Asset Relief Program to cover losses rather than feed new credit.Twenty-five percent believed the funds would be used to pay bonuses, and 22percent said banks were simply holding the funds as capital. Only 7 percentanticipate the TARP funds will be used to begin lending again. Still, 50percent think the $737 billion stimulus package passed by Congress and signedby President Barack Obama will begin to boost the economy over the next sixmonths to two years. Sixteen percent feel it will take more than two years forthe stimulus package to boost the economy.Three-in-ten, 30 percent, said thestimulus would not help the economy.

Asked to select one of three potential economic scenarios they believe is mostlikely to happen, 45 percent supported a projection that credit would continueto tighten despite federal efforts and the economy will remain sluggish asunemployment worsens and deflation takes hold. Twenty-two percent predictedcredit availability would recover and inflation would remain under control asmoderate, sustained growth returns Twenty percent said U.S. policies wouldsuccessfully reignite the economy but inflation would become a new problem. The CPA profession created 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy() to educate Americans on how financial issuesaffect them at all life stages, from childhood to retirement. A related campaign, Feed the Pig (), created with the AdCouncil, helps 25 to 34 year olds prepare for long-term financial security.

MethodologyThe study was conducted by telephone within the United States by HarrisInteractive on behalf of the American Institute of Certified PublicAccountants between March 4 and March 8, 2009 among 1,011 Americans over theage of 18. The survey had a margin of error rate of plus-or-minus 3.1percentage points. Questions were aimed at determining the important financialconcerns facing Americans such as employment, major life decisions, budgetspending and saving, perceptions about the U.S. economy and home market.Results were weighted for education, age by sex, race, household size (numberof adults), number of voice/telephone lines in the household, and 8-pointregion where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in thepopulation. A full methodology is available.About Harris InteractiveHarris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. auditing standards for audits of privatecompanies; federal, state and local governments; and non-profit organizations.It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination. The AICPA maintainsoffices in New York, Washington, D.C., Durham, N.C., Ewing, N.J., andLewisville, Texas.Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Online Media Center at.