United Splashes Over £30 million On Two Teenagers

Woke up to some pretty amazing news today. I'm still reeling over it, not too sure what to make of it. There are conflicting reports over how much is spent exactly, but one thing's for sure, it's over the £30m mark for 19-year-old Brazilian, Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira (more commonly known as just Anderson) and 20-year-old Portugese, Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha (commonly known as Nani).

That's alot to spend on kids. Let's hope they live up to the price tags.

Anyway here are the reports:

Times - United launch £35m spending spree to leave rivals standing
Manchester Evening News - United in double swoop
The Sun - United splash £31m on whizkids
The Daily Mail - Champions splash £30 million on Anderson and Nani
Guardian - United to splash £35m on Nani and Anderson
Telegraph - United spend £34m in Portugal spree

Giggs Retires From International And Transfer Garbage

Nothing much going around these few days in terms of solid news. Mostly just seagulls droppings around the trawler, which is the annual summer fare.

Giggs Retires from International Football - Glorious Welsh career has finally come to an end. It's a pity that one of the greatest names in football has never been able to perform on the biggest international stage. Anyway his retirement here is a boon to Manchester United fans all around the globe. It means Giggs will now wholeheartedly concentrate his career at Old Trafford, just as Scholes has done.

Larsson Picks Up Premiership Winners Medal - Looks like Larsson did eventually pick up a premiership medal. However the article was found on the notoriously rumour-mongering Tribalfootball.com, which somewhat adds a negative slant to it. It's unfortunate that this is the only site that reports it, so it's all I have to work with at the moment. Would appreciate it if someone, anyone can confirm this.

Transfer Rumours

Spurs Pip United To Bale - Not good news, but not exactly bad news either. I haven't seen enough of Bale to exactly have an opinion. Given the current market situation, £10m isn't alot to give for someone with the kind of potential Bale possesses. Moreover, it bolsters a position we're presumably lacking in and provides options for freekicks in dangerous positions, afterall Ronaldo's freekicks are just not consistant enough for me.

Heinze In Real Talks - Not biting this one. Given Evra's erratic performances and the inability to sign Bale, I don't see how, why United will let him leave. He's the best option amongst the worst available to play on the left. Unless something dramatic happens, I just don't see this happening.

United Plan £39m Berbatov Bid - Seagull shite. United would be fools if they really offered that kinda stupid money. If it were true, Spurs would be fools to reject it. They would be laughing to the bank, just as they did with Carrick. Hell, while we're at it, why not offer crazy money for Lenon and Dawson as well, afterall we were linked with them in the past. I'm sure the seagulls can get creative here.

Reds In Hunt for Huntelaar - A more realistic rumour. Buying Dutch always seems like a good idea, considering how well both Ruud and Stam did for us. This rumour's an interesting one. The article also mentions Reading's Leighton Baines and Spoting's Nani.

Spurs and United Battle for Nani - Having already lost Bale to Spurs, I would be pissed to lose Nani as well. Nani's been a long term target for us and is billed as the next Ronaldo. Quite frankly, from what I've seen of him, he's better than Ronaldo at the same age. Same silky skills and pace. He's just as raw, but seems more mature. At least I didn't see the same amount of whining. Amongst the London teams, I've always disliked Spurs the most (it helps to have a cousin who is a Spurs fan), but this time, they are really pissing me off. Looks like all their scouting department does is read the papers and pick our pockets.

Anyway I wouldn't dwell on the rumours too much. As with any other summer/transfer window, we're linked to a dozen players and signings almost never ever happen. Even when they do, I'm usually bitching about it. If I had things my way, we just buy Tevez and win the Premiership next season. He's the only one that's special.

Seriously Funny Shit!

This was a screenshot that was on the Liverpool official website minutes after the game ended. The 'mistake' was apparently noticed really quickly and taken down....but not quick enough apparently. It was sent to me via email. Could very well be a hoax, but brilliant stuff nonetheless!



In the same email, I got this one. It's a riot! Brought tears to my eyes!

Season Report Card

The season's ended and we won the Premiership. It's that time of the year again to give out grades to the lads who performed well, and those who did little.

I thought we did really well this season, given that I didn't give this team a chance in hell, let alone be chasing on three fronts in April and almost repeating 99. Had it not been for injuries coming thick and fast during the run in, we might just have pulled it off.

What's most gratifying for me this season is to see players like Ronaldo and Rooney mature and take on leadership roles. They still defer to Giggs, Scholes and Neville but their time will eventually come.

The team as a whole, showed plenty of character, hunger and perseverance. Let's hope winning the title this season doesn't diminish their desire for next season, which is why new blood is always needed to inject hunger as well as to push the current players to greater heights.

Before I go ahead, here's the mid term report card.

Edwin Van der Sar (Grade B+)
He had a solid first half of the season but I thought he performed poorly during the run in. Probably it's fatigue or nerves that finally got to him. Apparently from what I've read, Ben Foster will be taking over him next season. There's also some rumours that the players were blaming him for the goal conceded in the FA Cup finals. In any case, he's a been a solid performer for most parts of the season.

Tomas Kuszczak (Grade B)
He didn't get to play much, but whenever he was called upon, he did well. If Ben Foster does take over the no. 1 jersery next season, we have an able deputy.

Gary Neville (Grade A)
Missed a huge part of the run in due to injuries. But he's been stellar before that. He's not exactly the most vocal captain, preferring to let his feet do the talking.

Wes Brown (Grade B+)
When Rio and Vidic went down, he was the most natural replacement. Ideally, I would love to have him paired with Vidic in the heart of defense. He's also the guy who replace Neville during the run in.

Rio Ferdinand (Grade A)
Never liked giving Rio an A, but gotta give credit when it's due. He's been pretty damn good beside Vidic. Along with Kentona and Ly, I believe this has got to do with playing along side an accomplished defender like Vidic. Notice how little he screws up for England when Terry is around? Same theory applies.

Nemanja Vidic (Grade A+)
Broke his collar bone at the end of March and by May he was back in the team. Absolutely awesome. Simply a top class player.

Gabriel Hienze (Grade B-)
He's never been the same since returning from injury. Something seems to be lacking in his play. He doesn't seem as assured as back in 05. Let's hope it's because he hasn't fully recovered. I'm looknig forward to see him return to the 05 form.

Patrice Evra (Grade C+)
Bad. Brilliant. Awful. That sums up his season. He was pretty bad when he joined us and it continued into the beginning of this season. Then during the Spurs game, someone turned a switch on and he was brilliant for a really nice stretch. But with Evra, you know it's not going to last. The thing with him is that when he's bad, he's usually downright awful. Seriously if Hienze cannot find his form, we really need to either bring up a youngster or dip into the transfer market for help.

Mikeal Silvestre (Grade C+)
Dislocated his shoulder, which ended his season. Otherwise a largely forgettable season for Silves.

John O'Shea (A)
The ultimate utlity man. Whenever holes appeared, he plugged them. Hell, he even played as a stand-in keeper this season. Anyone who scores the winner against Liverpool automatically gets an A.

Paul Scholes (Grade A+)
Without doubt one of the stars for us this season. He's everywhere, doing everything. How are we going to survive without him in the centre of the park is the burning question for the next couple of seasons. When we find the answer to that problem, we would have truely built another dynasty.

Darren Fletcher (Grade A)
Didn't get to play in the centre of the park much, where he's at his most comfortable. But whenever he's called upon, he was outstanding. I would have loved to have him playing regularly.

Michael Carrick (Grade A)
Nope, your eyes didn't deceive you. Yes, I know I've been giving him a really hard time the entire season but hear me out first. True, he's been Mr Invisible for many of the games we played. While alot of us would love to see him don the Superman costume week in week out, it's just not humanly possible for someone who has played 60 games for us this season. That's right, he played 60 whooping games this season. If my sources are right, he's probably the outfield player who has played the most games for us this season. Another thing going in his favour is that he won the title playing in his first season for us. 60 games and a title....damn he's gotta be doing something right! Showed the greatest improvement in grades, jumping from a C to an A.

Park Ji Sung (Grade B)
This has to go down as a lost season for him. He missed out the bulk of the season thru injuries. Just when he was finding his feet in the middle of the season and scoring goals, he got injured again. Let's hope he recovers well for next season.

Ryan Giggs (Grade A)
He was really good in the beginning of the season, but the season is a long one and with injuries afflicting the squad, he's probably played more games than Fergie had intended. And it showed. By May, you could tell he was visibly exhausted.

Christiano Ronaldo (Grade A+)
Star pupil! The best performer in the squad by a long long shot, although he did look tired at the end of the season. He has matured tremendously from the spoilt and immature boy of last season. I'm looking forward to see him grow into a leader in the coming seasons, when the class of 99 (Giggs, Scholes, Neville) finally retires.

Louis Saha (Grade B)
He goals have been important in the beginning of the season, but I would like to see more of him. I can understand why people are getting impatient with him. For some reason, he never seems to get fit. He's fast becoming a tease and someone you can't count on when the chips are down. I'm personally souring on him as well. Chances are that he probably wouldn't be wearing a United jersery next season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Grade B)
He may not have played much this season, but he's a legend and an icon. He's the perfect locker room veteran, the type of guy every team needs.

Wayne Rooney (Grade A)
Went thru a dry spell in the middle of the season, but he returned to scoring form when we needed it most. Together with Ronaldo, he's matured alot this season. There is still a long way to go before he grows into the leader I would love to see.

Alan Smith (Grade B)
You can't expect much from Smith. I think it's pretty apparent to everyone that he doesn't have the pedigree to really play for us in the big matches. But you cannot fault his sheer willpower and determination. For that alone, he's getting a B. Not to mention the wonderful and heart warming story of him fighting for his place after returning from a horrendous injury.

Henrik Larrson (Grade B+)
True professional. Came in and did what he was supposed to do. Would have loved for him to stay the entire season though. The burning question here is....did he get a Premiership medal?

Kieran Richardson (Incomplete)
Didn't play enough games to make a lasting impact. Moreover he's pretty well hated anyway, so no sense in me making it worse for him.

Sir Alex Ferguson (Grade B+)
Don't get me wrong, I love Fergie to death and think he's a superb motivator. He's probably one of the best managers in the world, especially when it comes to coddling young players. However, he's also one of the most stubborn managers around too. He's shown time and time again to be tactically naive, playing that 4-5-1 formation away in Europe. For 7 years that has failed and he still persists on playing that way. Maybe it's the players are not bright enough to carry out his instructions or maybe the blame can be put on Carlos Queiroz. But whatever the case is, we failed in Europe once again and that squarely falls on Ferguson.

Boston Celtics and a New Layout

Boston Celtics
I had set my mind on writing a report card for our players, but the past 24hrs have been really hard to get thru. The NBA team (Boston Celtics) which I've been following closely for the past 20 years just got screwed royally in the draft lottery yet again. We entered the draft lottery with the second best odds on getting a top two pick, but somehow came out with the worst possible outcome of the 5th pick.

It seems that since the Bird, McHale, Parish era, it's been a rapid downhill trend into the NBA wastelands. The deaths of Lens Bias and Reggis Lewis at their prime, missing out on the Tim Duncan sweepstakes in 97 and now missing out Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. After 20 years of wondering in the wilderness of the NBA, this draft would have been our best chance to become a relevant/respected team again. Unfortunately, the basketball gods deserted us once again. It's truely painful and depressing.

Bill Simmons sums up my feelings best. Truely a sad sad day in Celtic Nation.

New Layout
As you may have already noticed by now the blog layout is undergoing some major overhaul. I'm screwing around with the codes and will continue to screw around until the EPL season starts, or until I find something that I like.

Fleeced Again! Hargreaves Done Deal

So what's new? We got fleeced yet again in the transfer market. Ever since Martin Edwards stepped down, this has become an almost annual affair, paying ridiculously inflated prices for mediocre players.

Anyway according to reports flooding the English press, Bayern Munich is laughing to the tune of £17.5m after agreeing to sell Hargreaves to United.

I admit I've not watched many games Hargreaves has played in, but I've not been impressed whenever I did catch him. I don't particularly dislike him, it's just that the price tag is ridiculous. It we purchased him for £7.5m, I would be a happy camper. The silverlining is that his wages are rumoured to be in the £60,000 range, quite reasonable.

Anyway it seems like a done deal, so we've just got to live with it. Looking on the bright side, if Hargreaves doesn't perform, or live up to his price tag ala Carrick, it's going to be another fun season blogging.

Drogba Denies United the Double (AET Chelsea 1 - Manchester United 0

This was a disappointing game to watch and the result was hard to swallow. Didn't help that LY graciously supplied us with a pre-game buffet at Cow's house, which God, Kentona, Cow and myself gouged ourselves silly. Just wish the small gathering would have had a better ending instead of Kentona and myself shaking our heads in the disbelief of our inept ability to break down a resolute Chelsea team.

Perhaps the writings had been on the wall the moment the teamsheets were announced. We had named a negative 4-5-1, intent on playing a defensive lineup packing the midfield. Chelsea, by default, named a very defensive team as well. It was apparent at the start of the game, both sides were not playing to win.....but playing not to lose. This was against our culture and style, and karma has a strange way of biting us back in the butt.

I felt by not going for the jugular right from kickoff killed our chances. It allowed Chelsea to grow in confidence as the game wore on.

The first half was a bore and neither side did much in terms of entertainment value. Both lineups had cancelled themselves and space in midfield was at a premium.

The second half was a slightly better affair. We possibly played marginally better, but the Chelsea defence was incredibly disciplined. Essien, in particular, was really really outstanding, barring that one incident when Rooney got the better of him.

The game ended nil all at full time and extra time was required to settle the draw. We threw on Smith and Ole, but it was perhaps too little too late as Drogba scored a beautifully crafted goal in the dying minutes of the game.

It was probably deserved, since Chelsea played better at their style than we had ours. What was more startling to me is that we simply didn't have a target man upfront.

Against a competent defensive side like Chelsea, we struggled to break them down. Saha would have been an ideal partner upfront for Rooney, but as we already know, he's nothing more than a tease and cannot be relied on for the full season. To be honest, I love Smith but he's just doesn't have the quality to lead the attack against accomplished players. And Ole, as much as I love him to death, is...well....old. As much as I hate to admit it, we need reinforcements upfront next season, and we desperately need it. If not, we're going to struggle against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool when the campaign resumes in August.

As for the performances of our players, Scholes was truely outstanding. He was the only calming influence in the game, but facing Mikel, Makelele and Lampard along throughout the game eventually wore him down. Everyone else possibly played below their usual standards, with the exception of Carrick, which doesn't say much for him.

Ronaldo and Giggs had quiet games. While the defensive 4 played their hearts out, they did allow Chelsea to tear them apart for the winning goal.

Well, the season did end on a relatively sour note, but let's not forget we also achieved alot this season. We won the Premiership with a squad many (including myself) thought was impossible. And that in itself was a huge huge achievement.

If we can bring in the right pieces, the future does look bright.

Solutions To West Ham Tevez Row

Seriously is anyone sick of this whole Tevez row? I know I am. This whole thing is going to take the entire summer to play out, and FIFA sticking it's grubby self-righteous hands into it isn't going to make things anymore pleasant.

Already Sheffield United, Charlton, Fulham and Wigan are planning a suit against the inaptitude of the Premier League to dock West Ham points. Chairman of Wigan, Dave Whelan, has publically called for Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman, and Richard Scudamore, chief executive, to step down.

Meanwhile in a desparate attempt to avoid relegation, Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe has ridiculously suggested the league be expanded to 21 teams to salvage some sense of fairplay to all sides involved.

Hence in the spirit of all the silliness going on, here are some tongue-in-cheek solutions.

Solution #1
The Premier League deducts 2 points off West Ham for fielding an ineligible player. West Ham stays up, Sheffield United go down and the Premier League absolves itself of a troublesome suit.

This one actually makes alot of sense all round. And we all know that since it makes sense, it wouldn't happen.

Solution #2
Both Sheffield United and West Ham get sent down, while playoff finalists, West Brom and Derby get promoted in their place. There will be no heartbreakers in the playoffs and 2 terrible teams, who deserve to get relegated, get relegated.

Solution #3
This one's my personal favourite.

Wigan, Sheffield United and West Ham get thrown out of the Premiership. Three of the most troublesome teams in the league get relegated and along with them, troublemaker Dave Whelan.

It helps clear the deadweight of having 3 absolutely worthless teams ply their worthless trade in the Premiership.

It reduces the league to 18 teams, which means the annual rants of Ferguson, Benitez, Mourinho, Wenger and ______ (insert managers of teams playing in Europe) of playing too many games no longer hold any water.

The Premier League kills 3 birds with one fell swoop. With the exception of the fans of Sheffield United, West Ham and the 5 people who support Wigan, everyone else is happy.

Solution #4
Feel free to add your own tongue-in-cheek solutions.

Cup Concerns, Ronaldo Wins More Awards

FA Cup
We are probably going to field a strong side for this Saturday's showpiece, while Chelsea are facing trouble putting together a full complement on the subs bench. Yet, I feel somewhat uneasy going into the finals.

Has anyone taken notice of scoring in the last 4 games? We've not scored a goal from open play and the only goal we got is a penalty against a hapless Shitty. Granted 2 of the 4 were meaningless games, but it didn't hide the fact that we struggled to score. My biggest fear is a repeat of the Cup Finals 2 years back against Arsenal. We did everything but score on that day. We eventually lost that one on penalties.

I'm just hoping for abit of luck this Saturday.

Ronaldo Wins More Personal Accolades

The Latest Win

That brings his personal tally to :
Barclays Player of the Month (November, December)
PFA Fans' Player of the Month (October, February)
PFA Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Fans' Player of the Year
PFA Premiership Team of the Year
Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
Barclays Player of the Season
Portuguese Footballer of the Year
Portuguese Sports Personality
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
Players' Player of the Year

Club Awards
Academy Player of the Year - Craig Cathcart
Reserves Player of the Year - Kieran Lee
Goal of the Season - Paul Scholes v Aston Villa
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo
Players' Player of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo

Tevez Steals The Show (Manchester United 0 - West Ham United 1)

There were celebrations all round when the final whistle blew. West Ham had staved off relegation and Manchester United were crown champions of England.

Despite being almost overwhelmingly outplayed by United, Tevez willed West Ham to an unlikely victory. On paper, the United team that started lacked star names like Giggs, Scoles or Ronaldo, but they played like stars yet somehow the West Ham goal led a charmed life. Even when the trio were introduced in the second half, the West Ham defence could not be breached.

Ultimately, it was a Tevez goal in the first half that settled the match. A fitting end to the season for a West Ham team that looked doomed only two months ago, only for Tevez to claw and inspire them to safety on the last day.

(In my best Keegan impersonsation) I would have loved to see West Ham relegated to ease the pain of 95. But it was not to be.

Based on his sheer determination, Ferguson will find it very difficult to resist a move for Tevez, should he be offered again to United. He showed skill, grit, courage and a 'never say die' attitude, an attribute you can never lack when building a team. I would love to see him in our colours 'again'.

Anyway it was good to see Alan Smith get his Permiership medal and the lads celebrating wildly after the game.

Before I end this entry, here's an interview with Eric Cantona. Just thought it's a fitting end to a great season.

Smudger Deserves a Medal

Alan Smith hasn't played enough games this season to be eligible for a Premiership medal this season, but the club is asking for special consideration for Smith and Larsson, who both fall short of the required 10 appearances.

As it stands, the following players will be getting their medals on Sunday (yes, I've nothing better to do, so I countered the appearances) :

1. Wayne Rooney (34)
2. Christiano Ronaldo (33)
3. Rio Ferdinand (33)
4. Michael Carrick (32)
5. John O'Shea (31)
6. Edwin Van der Sar (31)
7. Paul Scholes (29)
8. Ryan Giggs (29)
9. Nemanja Vidic (25)
10. Darren Fletcher (23)
11. Patrice Evra (23)
12. Gabriel Heinze (21)
13. Wes Brown (21)
14. Louis Saha (24)
15. Gary Neville (24)
16. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (18)
17. Kieran Richardson (14)
18. Mikael Silvestre (14)
19. Park Ji Sung (14)

20. Tomasz Kuszczak (6)
21. Alan Smith (8)
22. Henrik Larsson (7)

Kuszczak probably would qualify being the stand-in keeper.

Meaningless Draw (Chelsea 0 - Manchester United 0)

With the title already in the bag, United fielded a virtually reserve side. Chelsea, too, took the opportunity to field some new faces.

The game itself was uninspiring, unimpressive and, at times, unwatchable. Having to catch it at 3am made it almost unbearable. Just as well nothing much happened in the opening 45 minutes, as I was nodding off a number of times, missing most of the action anyway.

The second half was a slightly better affair, or should I say a more heated contest. The first 15 minutes was peppered with bad fouls and deserved yellow cards dished out.

United were denied a penalty, and probably just as well. Can you imagine the incensive moaning we'd have to face from Moanrinho for the next couple of weeks if it was given?

Chelsea ended the game strongly, forcing good saves from Kuszczak and a couple of goalline clearances. In the end, a dull draw was probably the best result in a meanless match.

Selected Player Performance

Kieran Lee - Not a bad debut. Did well in right back and made a goalline clearance.

Dong Fangzhou - He's going to have to step up big time to convince me he's not a token Chinese player in the squad. Marketing aside, I don't think he did very much on the pitch. In his defense, there was no service whatsoever.

Chris Eagles - The most impressive of the 3 debutant starters. Hungry and aggressive, although did show signs of rashness.

Alan Smith - Played in midfield and it showed.

Wes Brown - Outstanding in defence. Don't think he put a foot wrong. He's still my perfect complement for the central pairing with Vidic.

Tomasz Kuszczak - Kept a cleansheet, keeping out the late Chelsea surge. Did look uneasy from crosses and fumbled once. Overall, still a good performance. Should be interesting to our keeper situation next season when Ben Foster returns.

Champions!

Chelsea drew with Arsenal to hand us the title after 3 years in the wilderness. Given the fact Arsenal and Chelsea have set the bar to unprecendented heights in the past 3 years, this was probably the hardest fought and the most satisfying title win in the last 15 years. Not to mention, our squad was probably the thinnest amongst the top 4 and injuries had decimated it to the bare bones during the run in.

But give credit to the management team and the entire squad, we ran the perfect race. We came out of the blocks the fastest and kept the pace throughout the entire season. Everyone, including myself, thought that we would fizzle but the lads were more resilient than even the more optimistic fans thought. Their determination to pip Chelsea to the line was magnificent, especially given how hard Chelsea was hounding us all the way.

What makes it even more remarkable was the fact that we played true to our nature. We played the most exciting brand of football in Europe, or dare I even say, the entire world. We not only won the title, but fans all over the world.

Champions!

The only thing left to look forward to is the FA Cup clash on the 19th, against Chelsea. No doubt Chelsea would be up for that one, and like the Premiership race, it would be a hard fought contest.

A Point Separates United And The Title (Manchester City 0 - Manchester United 1)

Caught this game at the kopitam with Kentona and our respective better halves. The atomsphere wasn't exactly the best since we were surrounded by ABUs (Anyone But United) willing Shitty on. The game itself wasn't anywhere near our best showing but against a 'massive' club like Shitty, we did enough to etch out a win.

Shitty must have been rubbing their collective hands together in glee when they learnt that Rob Styles was in charge of this match. Given his abysmal record of not protecting United players, it was the green light for Shitty to 'hack-a-Ron', or anyone wearing Red for that matter.

It wasn't long after the kickoff that Shitty showed their true agenda. 2 minutes into the game, Michael Ball recklessly hacked at Ronaldo and Styles, true to form, completely ignored it. It set the tone for rough-house tackles by both sides. Well, it's what you would expect from a derby anyway.

To be fair, given our exhaustions in midweek, Shitty did look like the brighter of the 2 sides, forcing Van der Sar to a couple of good saves. We, on the other hand, didn't do too badly ourselves, hitting the post and crossbar with efforts from Vidic and Rio respectively.

Both sides were unable to get a foothold on the game until a decisive moment in the 33rd minute. Michael Ball once again fouled Ronaldo, but this time he did it inside the box and Styles awarded a penalty. Ronaldo came forward and slotted the spot kick giving a precious one goal advantage.

The second was none too inspiring from both sides, as Kentona and I went into deep conversation over our surprising progress this entire season. It was something neither of us had expected given our paper thin squad and recent injuries, but were nonetheless grateful for.

Then in the 81st minutes, Shitty were awarded a penalty when Brown fouled Ball. It did look like a soft penalty to give away, but hey, we're dealing with Rob Styles. I was personally uttering a half curse on Kentona for bringing his girlfriend along to watch the game with us. Given our past record of watching United games together with her for the past 2-3 years, she's been jinxing our results. This is of course no blame on her. It always solely lies with Kentona. (Sorry pal, needa score some points with Audrey)

Darius Vassell stood up and blasted the ball down the middle, only for Van der Sar to save with his legs. The curse was lifted! Although personally I felt it was the presence of my significant other that neutralized the curse, but that's another story for another day (needa score more points). For today we celebrate, not only another victory, but another gargantuan step towards reclaiming the Premiership trophy!

Now only a point separates us from taking back what we've 'loaned' out for the past 3 seasons. The fat lady hasn't sung yet, but given the way she's clearing her throat, the sweet melody isn't too far away. I'm not the type who likes to celebrate unless it's in the bag, but hell, the feeling's great to be so close to the prize after such a long journey. Please, no slip ups.

Other Significant Results Today
Wigan 0 - Middlesbrough 1
West Ham United 3 - Bolton 1

The results are significant. This was brought up by LY while I was typing entry. Assuming Chelsea wins their next 2 games against Arsenal and ourselves, we go into the final fixture against West Ham still needing a point. West Ham also needs a point to ensure Premiership existence. Without being a conspiracy theorist, both teams need just a point to meet our respective goals. If I were a betting man.....hmmm.....

Of course if Chelsea drops points tomorrow or against us on Wednesday, all bets are off and we celebrate like no tomorrow.

Poor, Gutless Performance United Falter in Europe Yet Again (AC Milan 3 - Manchester United 0)

From top to bottom, from the manager to the fans to the bloggers to the mailing lists, everyone was to blamed for this one. The only exception being Scholes who played his heart out, and probably the only one to deserve any sympathy from anyone. Everyone else was counting their chickens. All around the blogs were people getting ready for the showdown with Liverpool, the mailing lists that I was involved in were debating who to support for last night's semis, Pool or Chelsea, to eventually meet in the finals.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz were major culprits, playing scared again away in Europe by playing one up front. Time and time again we've failed to get the result desired by going away from what the players are familar with. As long as we go in with that mindset, we're simply going to be outplayed and outclassed by teams like AC Milan.

We also took a gamble and played a semi-fit Vidic in the centre of defence and right from the kickoff he's lack of fitness and sharpness was nearly exposed by Kaka. 3 minutes into the game, Seedorf hit a screamer and Van der Sar did well to push it over his bar. Milan were out of the blocks fast and we struggled to cope.

10 minutes into the game and Milan took the lead thru Kaka with a precise strike into the bottom left corner. Nothing more than Milan had deserved. They were hungrier and significantly better in every department on the pitch. I was surprised it took them till the 30th minute to add a second thru Seedorf. Again it was a sweet strike into the same corner of the goal. Quite frankly, they should've been at least another couple of goals ahead. The gulf in class was apparent for all to see.

We were no better in the second half. Although we showed abit more urgency trying to win the ball, Milan were still by far the better team. I can't remember a save that Dida had to make in the second half. That was how bad we were. It wasn't a surprise that Milan added a third via a counter attack thru Gilardino in the 79th minute. That knocked away whatever fighting spirit we had left, not that we had much to offer in the first place.

On a night when we needed to bring out our best, we produced our worst. Key players like Ronaldo and Carrick played like they were in awe of the Italians, totally gutless and disgusting. The entire defence was poor as well, giving the ball away cheaply. Heinze and Vidic combined to gift Milan their second goal. Rooney and Giggs squandered away possession. Brown and O'Shea were pumping long balls upfield to no one. All in all this was a pathetic performance. At least it gives us a taste how we play a division 2 side, except this time round, we were the division 2 side.

Only Scholes, and probably Fletcher, had average games. They were the only 2 United players who showed any semblance hunger.

Well, looks like AC Milan has gotten their wish to face Liverpool in a grudge match. It would sicken me if Pool were to win, not to mention, we're probably going to get it shoved down our throats again if they do. And it's probably going to make me puke in my mouth if Milan wins, considering they shouldn't even be in the competition in the first place. Shameful that someone has to win it.

I hope we go on to whip that 'massive' club in the weekend and take another step closer to the title. And for fucks sake, let's stop counting our chickens!

Loan System Abuse

As usual, I was scouring the major newpapers for tonight's game previews and chanced upon this gem of an article.

The Times (Martin Samuel) - Forget Tevez - Loan System Leaves Game Open to Abuse

The article has blatant United bias (negative), but it's worth reading. The same bias can be applied to Chelsea and Liverpool who should both face the same criticism.

I understand the need to allow fringe players first team experience, but as stated by the article, there're also problems when the teams meet head to head. Wasn't it just a few years back, that you couldn't loan players within the same division?

Well, it's definitely food for thought.

Labels
This is kinda embarrassing, but since switching to the new blogger, we're allowed to tag labels to each and every blog entry, and I made a spelling error with 'premiership'. Well, I can possible rectify it by taking the next 2-3 hrs editting it, but I'm too lazy to do it, so you guys have to make do with the error, not that it matters anyway, since no one ever uses labels.....right?