Berbatov Christmas Reminder

Manchester United 5 - Wigan 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Park (8), Berbatov (41, 58, pen 78), Valencia (75)


Red Card
Wigan: Sammon (40)


Team: Lindegaard, Evans (Fryers 46), Carrick, Valencia, Evra, Gibson, Giggs (Macheda 64), Park, Nani (Rooney 64), Berbatov, Hernandez

Berbatov must be enjoying his holidays. After scoring the fifth goal against Fulham, he was rewarded with a rare start for last season's top scorer and he reminded everyone why and how he acquired that accolade with a hattrick.

As much as his goal grabbing prowess go, it has also been a microism of his career at Old Trafford: he hardly scores when it matters. By the time he grabbed his first goal in the 41st minute, Wigan were one down to a Park goal and a man down. We were already cruising and the result was never in doubt once Phil Dowd brandished the red card to Conor Sammon. The card was harsh and it rather killed and chances of a Wigan revival.

The second half was mostly a one-sided affair as we continued to pound the Wigan goal as Berbatov grabbed his hattrick and Valencia added another to finish off with a handsome 5-0 scoreline. Carrick was marvelous as a make-shift centreback and we finished the game playing with 4 strikers and only 2 recognised defenders in Evra and Fryers. Yup, there was some weird shit going on at Old Trafford.

As great as the result was, the bigger and more significant news came from The Hawthorns where WBA hosted the table toppers, Shitty. WBA held the bad guys goalless and all of a sudden we're level on points, sharing the summit as the year turns. Bloody hell, if we get anything against Blackburn this weekend, we'd be looking to bloody top the table into 2012! And we'd be doing it with a gimpy looking backline! To think a few weeks back, we were 8 points behind and Shitty were playing like they were going to run far away with it and not look back.

Don't know about you guys, but I'm actually somewhere between a state of shock and one step into the twilight zone right now. If the world does indeed end in 2012, I'm proud to say I've lived!

United Thumps Fulham At Bogey Ground

Fulham 0 - Manchester United 5
Scorers
Manchester United: Welbeck (4), Nani (28), Giggs (43), Rooney (88), Berbatov (90)


Team: Lindegaard, Evans, Smalling, Jones (Young 28 (Park 59)), Evra, Carrick, Giggs, Valencia, Nani, Rooney, Welbeck (Berbatov 76)

What an emphatic win! And a perfect Christmas present to United fans all around the world.

I have to admit I had my doubts coming into this game. We've never played well at Craven Cottage, and playing back to back games in London seems like a daunting task, but we passed the test with flying colours, albeit at a cost.

Phil Jones suffered a concussion in the 1st minute of the game and while he struggled to soldier on, a concussion is not something you take a risk with. I was glad he signalled to the bench to be taken off in the 28th minute. He's replacement, Young, didn't fare any better either. Ashley injure his ankle 15 minutes into the second half and he, too, had to be replaced. Our injury situation seems quite dire, especially in defense. Rio seemingly picked up a knock somewhere between Sunday and today and was deemed unfit for today's game.

As a result of Rio, absence, Jones was drafted back into right-back and Smalling went inwards to partner Evans. There were alot of position shifting when Jones was replaced by Young early on in the game. Valencia came back into the fullback position while Nani and Young plied the wings.

Anyway, as confusing as it sounds, Nani and Valencia both had outstanding games on the right and most of their play involved Giggs and Welbeck playing little triangles around the Fulham defense, creating havoc and goals.

As with the game against QPR, we scored early when Nani took on his defender on the left and placed a perfect ball for Welbeck with an easy finish. Nani himself got on the scoresheet with an unlikely glancing header from Giggs. He returned the complement when he supplied Giggs with United's third goal.

We were all over Fulham and I don't think the Cottagers had a sniff at goal in the first half.

We took the foot off the pedal in the second half and Fulham were allowed more freedom. They came close on a couple of occasions but the defense stood tall. On the rare occasions when they breeched the twin towers in Evans and Smalling, Lindegaard was there to thwart their best efforts. It's gratifying to see that we have really two outstanding keepers in De Gea and Lindegaard, and more gratifying to see Ferguson appreciate them enough to consistantly give both a good run in the team.

The game was looking like it was going to fizzle out in the dying minutes until Rooney took matters into his own hands and scored a screamer out of nothing. Surely it must be a contender for goal of the month.

Not to be outdone, Berbatov added United's fifth with a cheeky improvised backheel to put the gloss on our win.

We've played some incredibly beautiful football today and were duely rewarded with an equally beautiful scoreline. More importantly, we've kept pace with the team at the top...and we've not lost away from home, which was our Achille's heel last season.

However with the injuries piling up during this festive season where the games come at an unrelenting pace, it could very well be our Achille's heel this season. I'm just thankful that the teams we're facing in the next few games have problems of their own.

And before I sign off, Merry Christmas to everyone out there.

Rooney And Carrick Take United To The Top......For Now

QPR 0 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (1), Carrick (56)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Carrick, Jones, Valencia, Nani (Young 88), Welbeck (Hernandez 63), Rooney (Giggs 79)

Superb performance.

Gonna make this a short one since there's plenty of football to catch tonight. We had a storming start when Rooney connected with Valencia's cross early in the game. Again the same story that we should have had more. Jones and Evans had loads of chances throughout the game but were unlucky to only find the woodwork.

Nani and Valencia were excellent down the wings and Jones is simply an incredible player. We're just hitting the surface of what he can do. Carrick had an excellent game as well and topped it off with an exclaimation. He intercepted a pass from Joey Barton in the second half from his own half and did a Ryan Giggs, bringing the ball all the way to the Rangers' box and scored.

The win brought us to the summit of the Premiership until Shitty plays Arsenal later in the evening.

Wolves Face United Backlash

Manchester United 4 - Wolves 1
Scorers
Manchester United: Nani (17, 56), Rooney (27, 62)
Wolves: Fletcher (47)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Smalling, Evra (Fryers 67), Jones, Carrick, Valencia, Nani (Young 77), Rooney, Welbeck (Macheda 74)

Was expecting this to be a tough game. Wolves has always given us trouble, especially when they come to park the bus. This season is a little different though, from the few games I've weatched Wolves, they have been adventurous and brave going forward. Today they played Fletcher and Doyle upfront, and instead of doing what most teams do when they came to Old Trafford, Wolves were probably foolishly trying to take the game to us.

Of course I'm not complaining. The opening exchanges were pretty even, but as the game progressed, it was apparent that they were leaving too much space for us to exploit in midfield. Jones and Carrick had relatively easy games and were able to dictate the pace. It was just a matter of time before we opened the scoring with the chances were were creating.

And true enough, Nani found himself with an opening and scored after jinking a couple of defenders before firing low. Rooney added a second in the first half. Wolves were facing a determined United team who had to endure a week of ridicule after being dumped from Europe's premier competition.

The opening of the second half didn't start in the way of the first. United's defenders were caught napping and Matt Javis found time and room to float in a cross which Fletcher headed into the net.

There were fears that we might not hold our nerve in the face of adversity again, but those notions were dispelled 10 minutes later when Nani added his second after good work from Valencia. Rooney made sure of the result with United's fourth and his second. There probably could have been more, alot more but we were unable to add to the tally.

This was possibly one of our better performances in the recent couple of months and exactly what the doctor ordered after our midweek exit. The difference today was that Wolves allowed us too much time and space in midfield, and most importantly, we were able to take our chances.

Our next 6-7 games are really 'must wins'. We'd be facing mostly mid to lower table teams and must make the most of it to push for the title. It will be the clearest indication if we're championship material.

Europa League....Here We Come!

Basel 2 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Basel: Streller (9), A.Frei (83)
Manchester United: Jones (89)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Vidic (Evans 44), Smalling, Evra, Jones, Park (Macheda 82), Giggs, Young (Welbeck 64), Nani, Rooney

This game had the feeling of deja vu all over it. It felt exactly like the game against Newcastle a week back. We were all over Basel but were sucker punched twice. In truth, we were our own worst enemies yet again. Rooney couldn't buy a goal and our defense couldn't keep one out.

We dominated the game and had chances galore but were put on the backfoot with a piss poor De Gea clearance that allowed Streller to volley home from the edge of the box. De Gea's had a brilliant season thus far, but he's had a terrible game tonight. All game he was nervy and his distribution was poor to say the least. It was so bad that towards the end of the half, Jones was ranting at him to pull up his socks.

If the result wasn't bad enough, we had to suffer the ignominy of losing Vidic in what looked like another serious knee injury. He was stretched off and replaced by Evans late in the half. The season's going down the shit house.

We continued to pepper the Basel goal with chances but with one true poacher upfront, we rarely looked like making the breakthru, whereas Basel looked really good whenever they had the opportunity to break. Even after throwing Welbeck and Macheda on, we continued to struggle.

It was eventually Basel who added to their lead with the old, wily veteran Alexander Frei's header. He eluded Smalling, crept to the backpost and headed in a cross. We answered with Jones' header in dramatic circumstances but it was too little too late.

We need help, and we need it in the worst way possible. We've been sleepwalking again this season and unless Shitty goes thru the kind of meltdown Chelsea did last season, the chances of retaining the Premiership title is slim to none. Adding to that, Shitty crashed out of the Champions League as well, which probably means they would be concentrating their entire resources to pipping us to the title.

Not wanting to end this on a sour note, at least we can continue blooding our youngsters in the Europa League since we've crashed out of the Mickey Mouse Cup. So it's not all bad eh?

United Keeps Pace With The Leaders

Aston Villa 0 - Manchester United 1
Scorer
Manchester United: Jones (20)


Team: Lindegaard, Rio (Giggs 64), Vidic, Smalling, Evra, Jones, Carrick, Young (Welbeck 79), Nani, Rooney, Hernandez (Valencia 12)

Strange game this. We dominated most of the possession and really kept Villa out of the game the entire time, yet despite our fine play, we hardly created any chances. For all our labours the past few weeks, or months indeed, we really came out and played some fine football and really should have hammered Villa, but we faltered at the end of almost every move.

We're desperately in need of some spark up front, or even some form of luck. The good thing is that our shyness in front of goal did not hurt us today. Villa are as incompetent as they come.

Besides the inability to score tonight, the other concern was the injury to Hernandez early in the game. He seemed to have hurt his ankle and the agony in his frantic waves for assistence probably doesn't bold well. With Owen already out, Berbatov injured in the last game, it seems our striking options are down to Rooney and Welbeck (Macheda and Diouf are just too raw). For a good bit, Nani was drafted upfront and did a credible job, he's too mercurial to be relied on fulltime in that position.

Jones was plied in midfield early on and he scored his first official United goal with a darting run into the box to connect with Nani's wonderful cross. He's partnership with Carrick was solid without giving up possession. It seems Ferguson is right in his assessment that Carrick seems to come alive at the end of the year. He's certainly put in a good shift. While not being spectacular, he's putting in a credible job while Cleverley and Anderson are on the injury table (who says I don't give Carrick any credit?).

This win allowed us to retain the 2nd spot, keeping pace with City, as Spurs and Chelsea look ominously on. Our next few Premiership fixtures look easy on paper, and we better take advantage of it to narrow the gap.

United's Carling Cup Adventure Ends

Manchester United 1 - Crystal Palace 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Macheda (pen 69)
Crystal Palace: Ambrose (65), Murray (98)


Team: Amos, Smalling, Evans, Rafael (Progba 64), Fabio (Fryers 37), Gibson, Park, Valencia, Diouf, Berbatov (Morrison 46), Macheda

We never really got into the game and Palace deserved the victory. A little more disconcerting for me were the injuries to the twins Fabio and Rafael. They never seem to get a break and were both replaced.

All in all, the youngsters didn't convince at all. There was too much glory hunting today. Everyone seemed to want to get their names on the scoresheet. There wasn't enough movement off the ball, and the attacks were very one dimensional, right down the middle of the park, making it extremely easy to defend. None of the reserve team players stood out.

Instead it was the Palace youngster, Zaha, who looked like a real winner. He's first half performance was really one to behold. He twisted and turned Fabio, and when Fabio was being replaced, I almost detected form rising from the mouth. He couldn't keep up the same level in the second half but it was enough to leave a deep deep impression from the 19yr old.

On our side, possibly the only player who was really outstanding was Smalling. He had a wildly impressive game, but was let down by his teammates on the other end. Macheda probably had the worst game I've seen since he's entered the scene against Villa a couple of years back, despite winning and scoring the second half penalty. I'm beginning to feel that he just might not make the cut on the big stage. Poor first touch, a seemingly bad attitude on the pitch and way too selfish. Then again, based on what Berbatov did today, the same can be said of him too.

Well, most of the players on show today probably wouldn't see action again this season with the first team unless something drastic happens. It really doesn't bold well for the team on the whole, especially in midfield where we so sorely need reinforcements. Still, heartiest congratulations to Palace and hopefully they go on to make more noisy in the competition.

Robbed By Mike Jones (Fuck You!)

Manchester United 1 - Newcastle 1
Scorers
Manchester United: Hernandez (49)
Newcastle: Ba (pen 64)


Red Card
Newcastle: Gutierrez (79)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Vidic, Fabio (Smalling 90), Evra (Macheda 88), Carrick, Giggs, Young, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez

I can't believe what I saw. Seriously, WTF!?! This has to be one of the worst piece of refereeings I've seen. Fuck you Mike Jones, seriously FUCK YOU!

I had intended to write some really complimentary things about Newcastle in this post, but that went flying out the window the moment Mike Jone (motherfucker!) gave the penalty to Newcastle while we were leading 1-0.

Rio had cleanly taken the ball of Ben Arfa with a beautiful challenge but instead of a corner, Mike Jones (motherfucker!) decided to make a name for himself and awarded the penalty to Newcastle.

The Barcode's goal led a charmed life after that with their back four making some incredible blocks and Tim Krul playing out of his skin. He was able to somehow put a body part between the ball and the goal line. And when he was beaten, his back four was in the way.

This was a disappointing draw as we were unable to beat the ten-men Magpies and unable to overcome a ridiculously rancid refereeing decision which will have real repercussions to the title race. Seriously....fuck you Mike Jones!

United To Sweat It Out In Switzerland

Manchester United 2 - Benfica 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Berbatov (30), Fletcher (60)
Benfica: Jones (og 3), Aimar (61)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Jones, Fabio (Smalling 82), Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Valencia (Hernandez 80), Nani, Young, Berbatov

This is not a good result. A win would have qualified us but the draw leaves us with all to fight for against a feisty Basel team who won today. Even with a victory in Switzerland, we would have to hope that Benfica doesn't wallop the Romanians for a better goal difference. Damn, even if the goal difference somwhow ends up the same, we would qualify as 2nd in the group with a worse off head-to-head after today's result.

It's all not looking very rosy all of a sudden. In two week's time we'd know our fate. A loss would crash us into the Europa league, while a victory doesn't guarantee us avoiding the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next stage of the competition. With Chelsea and Arsenal likely to qualify as winners of their respective groups, the odds look stacked against us. I suppose first thing's first, let's just get cross the hurdle in Switzerland.

The game itself started off in disasterous fashion and I'm glad I missed it. Jones opened his scoring account for United, unfortunately it was at the wrong end. It wasn't the start we wanted.

The first half was frustrating to watch as a football fan. Benfica is possibly one of the dirtiest teams in Europe out there right now. Every little touch from a red jersey resulted in a Benfica player rolling on the ground, while the presence of the medical team springs them back to life the next moment. To add to that, they are the masters of the cynical fouls whenever we looked to gain the upper hand. They weren't making bad or hard fouls, but doing just enough with subtle bodychecks and ankle taps to bring a United player down. As a result the game never got flowing for either team. We had to rely on Valencia, Young and Nani to dribble the ball to get into scoring positions.

Despite the negative play, we did manage to get an equalizer when Nani's cross found Berbatov in the box and he gleefully glanced it past the keeper.

The second half was a complete opposite from the first. United came out firing on all cylinders. We were playing at a ridiculously high level and were giving the Benfica defense fits, literally. Carrick probably had one of the best games he's had in eons. He controlled the tempo and was spraying passes left and right, finding his teammates and putting them in position to cause real damage. This was the Carrick we were hoping for when we prised him from Spurs.

The goal eventually came from Fletcher. He barely stayed onside to deliver Evra's cross for the goal. It was what we deserved from the outstanding play. However the joy was shortlived. Barely a minute after the celebrations died down, Benfica caught us napping, or should I say, caught Fabio and Rio napping, and it resulted in Aimar aka Frodo scoring.

We piled on the pressure but never really produced that level of play in that opening 15 minutes of the half. Still it looked likely that we would come away from this fixture with a much needed win. But try as we may, the Benfica defense stood firm.

They are now in pole position despite the fact that we still top the table. I'm pretty sure that would change unless we somehow ship a boatload in Switzerland.

Chicharito Does It Again

Swansea City 0 - Manchester United 1
Scorer
Manchester United: Hernandez (10)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Vidic, Evra (Fabio 51), Jones, Carrick, Giggs (Fletcher 76), Park, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez (Valencia 84)

It was another uninspiring game, but we managed to squeeze out our third consecutive 1-0 victory in as many league games. We've tightened up considerably since the derby day destruction.

The results are welcomed but the product on the pitch is pretty blend. We got an early lead thanks to some really horrid passing from The Swans and Giggs capitalized to put Hernandez thru for a simple goal. From then on, we stopped trying to get the second.

We spent a huge portion of the game allowing Swansea time and space to come at us. We were content to spend our efforts and energy defending the lead. As dull as the game was, I have to admit we did a credibly good job at that, barring the open goal that Sinclair missed in the 22nd minute.

We were so dugged in that we didn't even push men forward on the counter. There were at least 2 occasions where Nani was left out, hung to dry when he brought the ball forward. Both times he held on the to ball and had to wait a good 5 seconds before anyone plodded forward to create an outlet for him to pass. As we all know, 5 seconds in football is an eternity and by the time Giggs or Carrick moved, Nani had already lost the ball. We were so entrenched in defending that we didn't even want to get the cushion of a second goal.

It was quite painful to watch, and that's just how we've been playing since 6-1 happened to us. The adventure seems to have gone, and we're just dragging towards the January transfer window, hoping it would open for a new wind to rejuvenate a broken spirit. And it can't come soon enough.

Brown Wins It For United

Manchester United 1 - Sunderland 0
Scorer
Manchester United (Brown og 45)


Team: Lindegaard, Rio, Vidic, Jones, Evra, Fletcher, Park (Carrick 83), Rooney, Nani, Welbeck (Berbatov 73), Hernandez

For those of you wondering, I did miss posting the Champions League game. Daylights saving kinda screwed my schedule. I set my alarm at 0230hrs only to realise the time was set an hour back. So I set up the computer to catch the game and fell asleep while waiting for it. I did catch glimpses here and there but to be frank it was a rather dull game and I slipped in and out of sleep.

And speaking of dull games, the first half of this one isn't any better. Sunderland is really a very very poor team this season.They couldn't string two passes together if their lives depended on it. The only reason why they are hanging around somewhere in mid-table is because they haven't met anyone good yet.

As poor as Sunderland were, we didn't do ourselves any favours. We had alot of possession but didn't know how to break the black cats. There was way too much individual play. Everyone was doing his own thing and trying hard to make it a weekend to celebrate for Ferguson's 25th year in charge.

In the end, it was an ex-United player who made the difference. Wes Brown converted Nani's corner into his own net deep into injury time in the first half to remind us what we were missing. If Ferguson was in a sharing mood, he would have invited Brown to the manager's red wine session after the game, afterall he deserved it.

As unwatchable as the first half was, the second half was a complete turn around. The lads started to play for one another instead of doing it all by themselves. Rooney started to come to life in his new midfield role and was in a take-charge mood, pulling the strings. Park was everywhere on the pitch and Fletcher cleaned up nicely in front of the back four.

As a result, the back four had a ridiculously easy time until the last 15 minutes when desperation creeped into Sunderland's game and they started to be more adventurous. They were nearly offered a lifeline when the referee pointed to the spot but after consultation with the linesman, it was ruled a handball by Sunderland's Korean striker.

Bendtner also missed an open goal with time running out, while their keeper made two outstanding saves to keep the Black Cats in the game.

Overall it was a good result, although the performance left alot to be desired, especially in the first half. At least Ferguson got his win on his 25th year. We probably wouldn't see another 25, but the last 25 have been a dream come true for us United fans, especially those of us who rememeber the dark times.

United Tightens Up And Bores The Toffees To Death

Everton 0 - Manchester United 1
Scorer
Manchester United: Hernandez (19)


Team: De Gea, Vidic, Evans, Jones, Evra, Fletcher, Cleverley (Nani 57), Park, Rooney, Welbeck (Valencia 73), Hernandez (Berbatov 67)

Gotta say I missed a good portion of the game and the goal along with it. Got the timing of the early kickoff completely wrong. Didn't help matters that I was caught in a middle of a truly terrible stomachache and frequent trips to the toilet didn't enhance the viewing pleasure.

Ferguson tried something new today. After the crisitisms of his players after last week's debacle, many found themselves on the bench, or even not at all. Evra was truly lucky that we didn't have a ready made left-back. Would have expected to see him along side Rio. Strangely enough, Rooney was given a midfield berth. Cleverley and Fletcher were also given a run out but Cleverley seems to be rather unlucky to be brought off after the break for another injury. The lad just can't get a break.

From what I gathered, the goal came rather early and United were content to take Everton on the break. Everton were dominant on the ball when I got on, and the game was mostly played in United's half. There were a number of raids to the Everton goal, but most fell apart before Howard got involved.

De Gea was outstanding with a couple of good saves. He's definitely making a name for himself and slowly being the undisputed No. 1 after a shaky start. Vidic looks to have shaken off the rust and was massive.

Everyone else probably played to Ferguson's gameplan and extra effort was taken to take care of the ball. Certainly no one was going to do what Evra and Rio did last week.

United Advances In Carling Cup

Aldershot 0 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Manchester United: Bervatov (15), Owen (42), Valencia (47)


Team: Amos, Vidic, Jones, Fryers (M. Keane 70), Fabio, Park, Cleverley (Progba 60), Diouf (Morrison 70), Valencia, Berbatov, Owen

After the derby day debacle, this fixture was exactly what the doctor ordered. None of the 11 that started on Sunday were involved in this game.

We didn't exactly walk all over our opponents, but we showed plenty of desire, especially from the front two of Bervatov and Owen. Both were playing exceptionally good games, with a shout out to Ferguson not to forget them. Berbatov in particular was as industrious as I've seen him in a red jersey. From defense to attack, he was everywhere. Considering that this is only his second start of the season, he was definitely making the most of it.

Cleverley was a welcome return. He once again showed what we lacked in midifeld; someone who can move the ball quickly from the defensive third to the last third.

At the back, Vidic was paired with Jones, and he still has abit of rust to shake off, but he's getting there. Fryers reprised his role at left back for the Carling Cup and did a credible job. While it wasn't stellar and his distribution was a little lacking at times, at least he stayed behind and didn't allow Aldershot to rip the left flank to shreds.

All three goals were well worked with clever passing to rip the Aldershot defense to shreds and Valencia's screamer was the pick of the lot. After it was scored, United let off the pressure and played to contain Aldershot till the final whistle.

The youngsters, Michael Keane, Morrison and Progba, who came on made little impact. Keane looked abit overawed by the occasion and was poor in his distribution. Morrison has a good touch and looks like a player for the future. All he has to do is to keep his head screwed on right. As for Progba, he's passing is top-notched, however, I'm a little worried about his tackling, tt looks very Scholes-like. The rest of his play reminds me of a certain Patrick Vieira.

Come Sunday we face the real challenge of Everton at Goodison. It will be the true indication if we've shaken off the result from Sunday. I can't exactly say I'm looking forward to it. Everton is a tough opponent and we're looking distinctly at our worst form for a long long time. Unless Cleverley plays, I can't see how our front players can penetrate the tight Everton defense. And I don't even know if it's too soon for Cleverley to play in such a huge impact game.

United Handed A Thrashing

Manchester United 1 - Manchester City 6
Scorers
Manchester United: Fletcher (80)
Manchester City: Balotelli (22, 60), Aguero (69), Dzeko (89, 90), Silva (90)


Red Card
Manchester United: Evans (47)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Anderson (Jones 66), Fletcher, Young, Nani (Hernandez 66), Rooney, Welbeck

Ouch, this one hurts. In all honesty, we had this one coming. We've been coasting for the last few games and it's come back to bite us where it really hurts. I supposed, despite the gloom emitting from the red half of Manchester, there is a silverlining here, it was a wake up call, in the worst way possible, not only to the players, but the higher-ups as well.

We can no longer afford to sleepwalk to the title. At this early stage of the season, we're already finding ourselves in a small hole, most of it by our own doing. As I've said after the Stoke game, it was the beginning of the end if we continued to play like this.

The biggest disappointment were the goals conceeded in the last 3 minutes. Some of our players, namely Rio, just stopped playing. It allowed Shitty 3 additional goals that they did not deserve. He just stood still when Shitty broke and came at us with numbers. Rio simply didn't seem interested in playing and it was a huge letdown for the fans to see a self proclaimed 'legend' throw in the towel. It's just not the United way.

Of course the bulk of the blame will fall naturally to Evans who was red-carded right at the start of the second half when he found himself on the wrong side of Balotelli and had to pull him down.

The substitutions by Ferguson also left me scratching my head. Anderson was by no means the worst player on the pitch. In fact he was one of the few who showed a willingness to plod forward despite being two down. And taking Nani off instead of Young was another head-scratcher. Young's been playing like he's been auditioning for the Night of the Living Dead for the past month, yet he remained instead of Nani.

A combination of poor decisions and the lack of quality from the creative side of midfield spelt our demise. But what's more galling was the lack of desire from a number of players that was really a smack in the face of the fans. The honeymoon is over for this team, and the management has alot of heavy lifting to bring the spirits up and more importantly, the purse strings need to be loosened in January to bring in some help in midfield.

United Barely Escapes A Torrid Night In Bucharest

Otelui Galati 0 - Manchester United 2
Scorer
Manchester United: Rooney (pen 64, pen 90)


Red Cards
Otelui Galati: Perendija (88)
Manchester United: Vidic (66)


Team: Lindegaard, Vidic, Smalling, Evra, Fabio (Fabio 76), Carrick, Anderson, Valencia (EVans 70), Nani, Rooney, Hernandez

Not really sure what to make of this match. To say we were really poor is an understatement. We were nonchalant, unmotivated, disinterested and for large parts of the game looked like they just didn't want to be there. So much so that for a good portion of the game, I was really rooting for Otelui Galati to score.

The first half was possibly some of the worst football I've seen this season....and I've been watching quite abit of football. On paper, we should really be handing the Romanians a hiding, but the game isn't played on paper and our players just didn't seem interested in the game. The passing was slow and at times sloppy. There was very little movement away from the ball. In short, what we had was a bunch of millionaire footballers taking things really easy.

If Ferguson didn't open a can of whup ass on this bunch of arseholes at half time, he isn't a very good manager. Period.

We, somewhat, tried to pass the ball alittle faster, showed alittle bit more urgency, but it was sorely lacking to make the breakthru. At the rate things were going, it certainly looked like 3 draws in 3 Champions League encounters.

Then we got a ridiculously lucky break. The Romanian captain handled the ball in the box and Rooney scored from the spot. The goal came just in time as moments later, Vidic was harshly sent off for a foul. It didn't look bad enough for a straight red.

The sending off reduced us to defending for the rest of the game. Otelui nearly capitalise on their man advantage immediately but Carrick made a crucial last second block to prevent the equalizer. Most the game from then on was played in our half, keeping the Romanians at bay. It wasn't until after the Romanian team was reduced to ten men themselves very late in the game before we got our second goal from the spot.

There were a few notably putrid performers.

Valencia was simply terrible. I hate to pile on the guy as he seems a geniunely nice guy, but he was just terrible. You would think with a rare start at his preferred position, he would grab onto the opportunity with both hands...I mean legs. Instead he wasted possession, refused to run and generally was such a disruptive force that Ferguson had no choice but to replace him. Way to fight for your place in the team.

Vidic wasn't any better. In fact the red card could have saved him from further embarrassment. From his very shaky time on the pitch today, it looks pretty apparent that he's not fully recovered yet. It would certainly be a scary thought if he continues in the same vein against Aguero or Balotelli this weekend.

Most the the rest of the team wasn't any much better. Since I've been ragging on Carrick most of the time, I'm not going to dedicate anymore space on him. There would be further opportunities to do so I'm sure. However, as bad as the team played, there were a couple of star performers.

Evra was possibly the only player to do anything worthwhile in the first half when everyone was sleepwalking. Although he hardly defended, his runs upfront were the only cause of any excitement for a United fan.

Smalling possibly was the other player who didn't do too badly. Playing bad to his preferred position in the centre of defense, he did an admirable job, especially when we were reduced to ten men.

A repeat of this performance against the current leaders of the EPL this weekend will surely see us lose. After a scintillating start to the season, it seems the brakes have been applied in the past few weeks and we're coming to a grinding halt. Unless we can pull our socks up and get our collective heads back in time, there's going to be alot more noise coming from our neighbours at the end of the season...or even as early as this Sunday!

What Was Ferguson Thinking!

Liverpool 1 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Liverpool: Gerrard (68)
Manchester United: Hernandez (81)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Jones (Hernandez 76), Fletcher, Park (Rooney 69), Young (Nani 69), Giggs, Welbeck

Sometimes I have no idea what the fuck is on Ferguson's mind. There were some serious changes made to the team and most were just mindboggling. I can understand keeping Rooney away from the spotlight after the whole silly sending off while playing for England, but to keep players like Anderson, Nani, Hernandez from the bench is bewildering at best. Not to mention, Berbatov wasn't even on the bench, not that he would have made a difference after the kind of performance we put up.

There were times during the game I felt that we were trying our best to bore Liverpool to death, then sneak in a spoon to scoop the remains. We could hardly get past the last third of the pitch. Welbeck was left buried under a ton of Liverpool pressure whenever he ventured near the Liverpool box. Young was at his putrid worst, unable to shake off Kelly and Giggs really showed his age. If anything, Park was the only player who could stand toe to toe to his Liverpool defender, but his lack of creativity resulted in nothing everytime he had the ball.

The Jones and Fletcher midfield pairing left a huge yolk on Ferguson's face. For all the plundits on Jone's great touch, dribbling and passing, it was too soon and too huge a game to throw him into the deep end for his first outing in an unfamilar position. Damnit, even Carrick might have been less tentative in the position. And for all the praises I've been singing at Fletcher in the past, today was the game I take it all back. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt here. He hasn't really played many games the past year or so, so it's going to take time for him to come to grips with the game at the top level, but today he was just simply awful.

There is a reason why De Gea ranks ranks right up there for the keeper who makes the most saves in the Premiership. Our defense just can't keep anyone from taking potshots. With names like Rio, Evra and Smalling, you would think we'd have a really good defense, yet game after game, we allow our opponents to take a ridiculous number of shots. And only thru the great stops by De Gea that we manage to keep the scores in our favour.

Long story short, Liverpool scored via a freekick that Rio needlessly gave away. Giggs inexplicably stepped away from the wall and Gerrard's kick arrowed past the gap and into the net. Ferguson sent on Rooney and Nani, and subsequently Hernandez, before Hernandez scored an instintive header from a corner.

While we were all waiting for the patented United comeback, De Gea was called into action with two incredible saves from Kuyt and Henderson. Liverpool finished the stronger and, as much as I hate to say this, deserved to have the 3 points.

This definitely counts as a loss in my book. Liverpool were so there for the taking, but Ferguson decided to play possum.

Lesson of the day, if Ferguson refuses to play our best players, we don't deserve to win. And if Shitty pips us to the title to the tune of 2 points, then we must look back to games like this where we gave it away right from kickoff.

Debbie Downer out.

United Scraps Past Norwich

Manchester United 2 - Norwich 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Anderson (68), Welbeck (88)


Team: Lindegaard, Jones, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Fletcher, Anderson (Rio 77), Park, Nani (Giggs 64), Rooney, Hernandez (Welbeck 64)

Looks like we're back to the struggles we faced last season breaking down teams at Old Trafford. We won this one thru sheer, dumb luck. If luck was a lady, we definitely rode her ragged.

Norwich came with a game plan and part of that was to park the bus. Their counters were particularly devastating and really could have resulted in, an altogether, different scoreline. Lindegaard also shown in this game that he's a really good keeper too. He kept us in the game when our back four fell apart for the second consecutive game.

Ferguson has got to be worried at how easily we're allowing opponents potshots at goal every single game. We may not have conceded in this game, but for every game this season, we've kept opponents in the game with terrible defending. The statistical fact that De Gea makes the most saves in the Premiership is testimont to just how fragil we are at the back. While we glow at the emergence of Jones and Smalling, the revival of Evans, the truth is that they have not really performed as a unit. The reason we're still keeping clean sheets is all due to the keepers.

Cover from midfield has been terrible too. After a springly start, Anderson seems to have faded off really fast. He may have scored the winner today, but his passes today, and the last couple of games, have been all over the place. He really needs to pick up his socks. When Vidic returns, I can see Ferguson pushing Jones to play in midfield.

Upfront, we seemed to lack the firepower despite both Rooney and Hernandez returning from short-termed injuries. They are probably shaking off abit of rust, while Welbeck seems to be showing some really good form, and scoring a good goal to kill off the game.

Overall, it's a great result but a poor performance. We take a couple of weeks off for the international break, which really isn't much of a break for us considering most of our players are involved. When we return, it's a trip down to Anfield to face Liverpool. If we get a similar kind of treatment from the refs the way they screwed Everton, we're in for a really long day.

Young Saves United Blushes

Manchester United 3 - Basel 3
Scorers
Manchester United: Welbeck (16,17), Young (90)
Basel: F. Frei (58), A. Frei (60, pen 76)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Jones, Fabio (Nani 70), Evra, Carrick, Anderson (Berbatov 82), Giggs (Park 61), Valencia, Young, Welbeck

What a game. As a football fan, this was an absolute beauty to watch, however, I'm a United fan as well, and it's seriously been a bloody rollercoaster ride. I can't even decide right now if I should be happy with the result, whether we dodged a bullet or missed the heart.

All credit to Basel for making this a fantastic game. They played without fear, creeping into the lion's den and walking tall from it with a prized tooth.

We, on the other hand, have been just pathetic behind. Ever since the Chelsea game, our injury hit backline has been allowing opponents too many chances and it's come back to bite us in the last couple of games.

The game started off exactly that way. Basel came close on a couple of occasions but it seemed that they had left their scoring boots back in Switzerland. We took full advantage of their misses and fired two good goals from Danny Welbeck. Despite going two down, Basel continued to create chances after chances but were not able to trouble De Gea in any shape, way or form. It looked pretty going into the half. All we needed to do was to keep the backline strong and the points would have been in the bag.

Again I'm just going to say, all credit to Basel. They just came at us in the second half and were duely rewarded with two quick-fire goals of their own. We were the architects of our own demise. We kept giving the ball away cheaply and our back four looked terribly hesitant. The support from midfield went the way of the dinosaurs.

Then in the 76th minute, we once more fell victim to some terrible defending and gave away a penalty. Alexander Frei added his second and Basel's third, and we were staring at a shock humiliation...at Old Trafford!

We poured forward in numbers and in typical United-style, scored in the 90th minute to level the scores. Despite a generous amount of injury time, we were unable to conjure a winner, but then again, that would have been terribly cruel to Basel's valiant effort. Even then, Berbatov could have produced something but he saw glory and hit his shot into the side-netting when Nani was in a better position for a tap-in.

This was a superb game to watch, non-stop attacking from both sides. We need to really tighten our defence in the worst way possible. It's shambolic and we're putting alot of pressure from our front men to keep up. As brilliant as Rooney, Hernandez and Welbeck have been, they are only human.

Lucky To Come Away With A Draw

Stoke City 1 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Stoke City: Crouch (52)
Manchester United: Nani (27)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Jones, Valencia, Evra, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Young (Giggs 70), Berbatov (Welbeck 70), Hernandez (Owen 10)

As mentioned in the last post, this is the hump that we needed to get over. On paper it looked like a disappointing result, especially after we got into the lead via a magical moment from Nani. However in reality, it really wasn't close. We were hammered and battered and if not for the heroics of De Gea, we really should have lost this one.

Right from the kickoff, Stoke signalled their intent to play a physical game and lenient refereeing allowed to get away with absolute murder in the opening 10 minutes. There were a number of cringe-worthy tackles by the Stoke players on ours which resulted in Hernandez being replaced by Owen in the opening 10 minutes. It was downright dirty and disgusting.

Having rubbed it in our face with their physical presence, they went on to dominate midfield and created a good number of chances. Without Rooney on the pitch, our build ups were laboured. Berbatov took too much time on the ball and most of our attacks resulted in having to punt a hopeful ball amongst the trees for Owen to gather.

Good thing we still had Nani to rely on. He's come along way from the awkward player he was 4 years back. Now he's full of confidence in his own ability and it was that self-belief that brought us the lead quite against the run of play. He sliced and diced past the entire Stoke defence and unleashed a screamer.

Stoke almost replied immediately but De Gea's reflexes saved us, pushing Wilkinson's shot to the post. He then went on the foil Walters shot.

It seemed like we would keep a clean sheet, but right after the break, slack marking allowed Crouch to head home the equalizer. The game then went thru a period where neither side wanted to defend, but neither side were able to make the breakthru either.

In the dying minutes, Stoke were happy to share the spoils as we went forward to make an attempt to grab it all. Our efforts were not enough on the night and gave up our 100% record.

Overall it was still a good result considering how poorly we played for most of the game. There was a lack of simple, quick and incisive passing that allowed us to win the past 5 games. While I don't really want to put it on Berbatov's or Fletcher's shoulders, they were indeed very slow to release the ball. They just held on to it for a tad too long, and all the attacking impetus was lost. It became very apparent once Berbatov left the pitch, the last 20 minutes saw us passing and ball faster and making inroads into the last third. Too bad after playing 70 minutes of slow, laboured football, there just wasn't enough time to rev up the engine.

A win here would have done our confidence a world of good, considering the next 3 premiership fixtures of Norwich away and Liverpool and Shitty at home. We could just steamroll them, but with a draw here, a lingering doubt might creep into the minds of our young players.

Well, I suppose the silver lining here is that we're still top of the table, albeit by a narrow goal difference.

United Shrugs Off Leeds

Leeds 0 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Manchester United: Owen (15, 31), Giggs (45)


Team: Amos, Carrick, Fryers, Fabio, Valencia, Park, Giggs (Progba 46), Diouf (Welbeck 70), Macheda (Cole 77), Berbatov, Owen

No really much to say here. This used to be a huge fixture; the battle of the roses, Yorkshire vs Lancashire, but not anymore. There was a time when Alex Ferguson used to field his best and his toughest at Ellen Road, but those days are gone. It may return someday, but unlikely in the near future. The gulf in standards is as wide as the scoreline suggests and on top of that, we fielded an experimental team with the reserves. Just to emphasize the difference, we ended the game with a centreback pairing of Carrick and Berbatov!

A number of players were fielded in positions that were unfamilar to them, but all had acquitted themselves well. Macheda and Diouf were employed at the left and right flanks respectively. While they didn't make significant contributions upfront, they were both hardworking and came back often to help the their respective fullbacks.

Valencia continues from his weekend advantures at right back and seems to be growing into the role. For his sake, I hope Ferguson doesn't get any funny ideas of playing him there full time. As it stands, we already have Rafael and to a smaller extend, both Smalling and Jones as standbys there.

Our injuries in the centre of defence and the need to rest players playing here resulted in Carrick playing along side the youngster Ezekiel Fryers. I've never seen of heard of Fryers, but they both did a masterful job. When Fryers get injured in the 77th minute, Berbatov tracked back for a cameo at that spot, and must say for the rest of the game did look the part. If the injuries continue to pile up in this department, we could see this very makeshift central pairing however unlikely.

Park and Giggs were terrific dictating play from the centre of the park. Giggs really seems to age well. His goal at the end of the half was a marvel. It probably got a deflection at the end, but the run up to it was all Giggs turning back to clock and mesmerising us with his skills. He's replacement in the second half, Progba, is still not ready for the big time or the bright lights.Too many wild passes and rash challenges. The potential is there and he needs to get first team action, be it training with the first team or out of loan to other clubs to gain alot more experience before he's the finished product.

And of course up front, Owen was Owen. Two goals to the good. Berbatov did nothing upfront and probably enjoyed his little stint behind.

Long story short, Leeds were crap and we took advantage and snuffed their light out early. The weekend's a different monster altogether. It's going to be a bruising contest against Stoke, a game I'm not relishing. I hope they can play possum like they did against Sunderland over the weekend, but it's more likely they'd be more like the tigers against Liverpool. So far I've been enjoying this season, but I somehow just have a bad feeling about this weekend....

United Comes Up Tops In A Game Of Missed Chances

Manchester United 3 - Chelsea 1
Scorer
Manchester United: Smalling (8), Nani (37), Rooney (45)
Chelsea: Torres (46)


Team: Jones, Evans, Smalling (Valencia 62), Evra, Fletcher, Anderson (Carrick 62), Young, Nani, Rooney, Hernandez (Berbatov 79)

We won our 5th consecutive game and took the top spot in the table after Shitty dropped points despite being 2-0. This wasn't a classic encounter in the attacking sense, but it definitely was an exciting one with play switching from one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye. What stood out were the extrodinary number of misses from point blank range from both sets of players.

We started off poorly, continuing our poor play in midweek against Benfica. Chelsea were all over us right from kickoff and were quite unlucky to be 1-0 down by the 8th minute. Young's freekick from the right found Smalling in an offside position. The linesman didn't flag and Smalling obliged the Old Trafford crowd by nodding it into the net.

It was follwed by intense pressure from Chelsea which De Gea acquitted himself well with a couple of great saves. It gave confidence to a shaky backline and we slowly but surely built on it. Nani doubled the lead with a stunning individual goal.

Rooney added a third at the death of the first half with an easy pass into the net. We were up and comfortable with a 3 goal lead going into the half. We didn't play particularly well, but we took our chances while Chelsea fluffed their lines in front of goal.

The second half started off with a bang when Torres collected Anelka's wonderful pass and lifted it over De Gea. For a moment it looked like the Torres from Liverpool had returned. He looked lively and was really giving our defense fits. He should have added a second when he rounded De Gea with the empty net to aim at, but he returned to form and inexplicably missed the open target.

At the other end, Rooney too fluffed his line from the spot. Instead of celebrating a second goal, he slipped at the last second and sent the penalty over and wide, ala Beckham.

Berbatov also got into the act as the game was winding down. One on one with the keeper, Rooney elected to pass to Berbatov in an open position. Thepass was wretched and Berbatov could only weakly poke it into Ashley Cole.

It was a game of very badly missed chance from both sides, but we came out top despite not looking anywhere near our best. Andy Cole would have been proud of the effort put in by both sides.

Benfica, United Share Points

Benfica 1 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Benfica: Cardozo (24)
Manchester United: Giggs (42)


Team: Lindegaad, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Fabio (Jones 78), Carrick, Fletcher (Hernandez 70), Park, Giggs, Valencia (Nani 70), Rooney

 Putrid display in midfield. Ferguson gave the old timers a run here and after the free-flowing football we've witnessed in the last month grinded to to a halt. There was precious little movement in the centre of the park. Carrick and Fletcher were non-entities. They moved like their feet were cast in cement.

With 7 changes to the one that played against Bolton, we certainly looked like strangers on the pitch. Rooney was starved of any supply and he had to constantly track back to get a touch of the ball, of course when he did that, there was no one up front when he did get the ball.

The only players who ran their socks off from the starting eleven were possibly Evra and Park down the left flank. Fabio and Valencia tried to put in a good shift but the quality was poor and eventually both were taken out before the 90.

Benfica's goal came from a superb goal from Cardozo. He spun beautifully around Evans and whipped a wonderful shot across Lindegaard and into the net. Our reply was a little against the run of play. We created little in the first half and were perhaps fortunate to draw level when Giggs was allowed to dance his way thru the Benfica midfield to lash home the equalizer.

The second half performance was much better from our point of view. We begun to string a couple of passes together but it wasn't enough to take the 3 points. Benfica, too, had their chances but Lindegaard is pressing hard for the no.1 spot. He made a couple of outstanding saves to save our blushes.

The game ended all square and probably the right result despite our putrid first half. Thankfully our group looks really weak with Basel and Otelul as our next oppoents, both of which we should deal with, barring an Inter-like collapse.

With our top players rested, I'm optimistic we should deal with Chelsea's slow legs in defense this weekend.

United Steamrolls Bolton Towards No. 20

Bolton 0 - Manchester United 5
Scorers
Manchester United: Hernandez (4, 58), Rooney (20, 25, 68)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans (Smalling 61), Jones, Evra, Anderson, Cleverley (Carrick 7), Young (Giggs 61), Nani, Rooney, Hernandez

I can't remember when United started a season this emphatically. As far as my memory can take recall, the only memorable start we had was in 86 when we won the first 10 games before drawing to Luton, who incidentically are no longer in the league, which only goes to show two things....it's damn long ago and I'm getting too damn old.

Like the previous fortnight, Shitty played earlier and stamped their authority on a wimpish Wigan and like the previous fortnight, we called their result and upped the stakes again, this time against a feisty Bolton. It was a robust challenge right from the kickoff and we lost Cleverley within minutes with a dreadful tackle by Kevin Davies. While Cleverley was taken out of the game for treatment, the ten men in red responded with a wonderful goal from Chicharito. He completely outsmarted Gary Cahill to find space and poked Nani's cross into the net.

Cleverley was replaced with Carrick, whom I'm actually beginning to hate, but today is a good day, so I'll just leave the ranting for another posting, if I get down to it.

Bolton's response was very positive and in the next quarter hour or so, they were easily the better team and really looked like equalising. In previous seasons, they might have, however the Manchester United in it's current form is a different animal and I almost felt sorry for Bolton. From a lightning quick attacks, Rooney scored twice in a space of 5 minutes to put the result beyond the Trotters. Both goals were supplied by Phil Jones who was making an appearance at right-back. I thought Rafael was filled with potential until Smalling came along. With his mature level of play, I thought the right-back role was Smalling's to lose, then Ferguson did what we never expected and pushed Jones to the position with Smalling starting from the bench instead. Jones responded with a man-of-the-match performance. Rooney may have scored a hattrick, but Jones stole the show and our hearts.

Chicharito made it 4 in the second half and Rooney completed his hattrick with over 20 minutes to spare. We could very well have equalled the margin against Arsenal, but the foot was significantly off the pedal. Chicarito could have added to the scoreline but was unselfish, instead passing the ball to get teammates involved.

It was a brilliant overall performance by everyone in a red shirt, including the 17 busloads of Norwegian fans who made their way down.

United Rips Arsenal A New One

Manchester United 8 - Arsenal 2
Scorer
Manchester United: Welbeck (22), Young (28, 90), Rooney (41, 64, pen 82), Nani (67), Park (70)
Arsenal: Walcott (45), Van Persie (74)


Red Card
Arsenal: Jenkinson (77)


Team: De Gea, Jones, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Anderson (Giggs 68), Cleverley, Nani (Park 68), Young, Rooney, Welbeck (Hernandez 36)


My word, we really gave it to the Gunners in the worst way possible just to pound on their already troubled start to the league. For a moment there I actually felt sorry for Wenger, but after a few drinks (ok, drank more that I can remember) while watching the game with some friends, I think he fully deserves all the trouble he's in for with his fans. The squad is dire and in need of fresh faces, especially after losing two of their most important players, and Wenger still stubbornly refuses to pay above valuation for players. The economist in him must give way to the manger that is in dire need of help.

We couldn't have asked for better motivation when earlier Shitty gave it to another London team, Spurs, a good hiding. Knowing that we needed to beat Arsenal by a 5 goal margin to claim top spot, the lads came out of the dressing room fired up and were all into the gunners. The first goal took awhile but when Anderson's lob ball over the tentative Arsenal defense who failed to clear, Welbeck needed no second invitation to head the ball over the keeper (I refuse to spell that impossible name).

Arsenal almost replied with a weak penalty when Walcott was seemingly tripped in the box by Evans. The referee didn't give it but the fucking useless linesman flagged for it instead. If the award of the penalty was weak, Van Persie's spot kick was even worse. De Gea dived the right way and push it out for a corner. How they missed Fabregas.

Immediately from the counter, Young found himself in yards of space and curled a wonderful ball beyond he-who-shall-not-be-named's outstretched arms.

Rooney helped himself to a third with a carefully placed freekick. By this time, we were looking dandy and threatening to run riot against an Arsenal team who have yet to know the first names of the players beside them.

But as it is with United, complacency crepted in and we failed to clear our lines in the last minute of the first half and Walcott pounced on the chance to whip on back for the Gunners. An unlikely fightback seemed on the cards if we continued to give them space and time.

These days United are made of sterner stuff. We came out of the dressing room determined to make up the goal difference that Shitty has built on us and piled on the pressure. It's been a long long time since we've played this well. Like the first half it took awhile before we got on the scoresheet again and once again it was a well-worked freekick from Rooney that left he-has-an-impossible-name-to-spell stranded.

United were flying. Nani added a fifth, and his replacement, Park, scored a sixth. Van Persie did get on the score sheet but it was really one-way traffic.

The last ten minutes saw United compounding on Arsenal's troubles as they had yet another player sent off. Rooney completed his hattrick from the spot when Evra was crudely fouled in the area. Young completed the demolition with another curler in the dying seconds.

I honestly can't remember United domination proceedings in such from start to finish. Even in the 9-0 Ispwich game or the 8-1 against Forest, there were pockets of resistence. This one was completely one-sided.

The Anderson and Cleverley midfield is possible one of the best I've seen in a long long long time. They seem to work well with one another and are very positive with the ball, constantly pushing it forward. Honestly, if they don't face a burn out anytime this season, I simply cannot see Carrick getting into the team again. But it's a long season and they are young players playing in a position that wears you down and at some point in time, I believe it will get to them.

Even Welback leaving the pitch in the first half with what I believe is a hamstring problem isn't a huge miss. I mean it's sad to see him go off in such fashion, but we didn't miss a beat with Hernandez coming on. And we have able replacements with Berbatov and Owen still in the wings, not to mention Macheda and Diouf even further behind the packing order.


This team is just so deep that 3 of our back four aren't supposed to be in the first team, but they damn well are playing like they've been there all their lives. Said this before, say it again, they are still very young and will get their rest when the 'big guns' return. As of now, they are getting some insane experience playing for a winning team.

Bloody hell, since I'm still abit drunk, might as well put this down in writing. Take away Messi, I think we're right up there with Barcelona!

Welbeck Arrives

Manchester United 3 - Tottenham 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Welbeck (60), Anderson (76), Rooney (87)


Team: De Gea, Jones, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Anderson, Cleverley (Giggs 82), Nani, Young (Park 82), Rooney, Welbeck (Hernandez 82)

That was utterly brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Ferguson must be so proud of the boys tonight. We started with what I must say a really youthful looking team. With the exception of probably Evra, we literally played with boys out there. Boy did they come of age, in the most emphatic fashion.

We didn't exactly start off well in the first half, but did well to stand toe to toe with Spurs, probably edging the number of shots on target but possibly narrowly losing out on the posession stats. We should have gone into the lead, but that ancient giant, Friedel at the ripe old age of 40 was having a really good game preventing shot after shot from beating him.

Whilte the first half was a eye-catching, the second half was breathtaking. The moment Welbeck scored the opener in the 60th minute, the game only went in one direction.

Once Welbeck directed Cleverley's super cross, there was only going to be one outcome. With the goal giving him confidence, Welbeck went on to put an exclaimation mark on his man of the match performance. He had a bicycle kick saved but went on to set up Anderson's goal on a platter. He brilliantly backheeled the ball into Anderson's path and he couldn't miss.

Ferguson was so delighted with the display, he made a triple substitution to allow the Old Trafford crowd to give Welbeck, Cleverley and Young a well deserved ovation. Rooney added icing to the cake with a headed goal provided by Giggs.

On the other end, no game is complete without a small boo-boo from De Gea when he let slip a cross but Defoe could only strike the woodwork. However that said, De Gea had a really good outing. Spurs peppered him with long shots and low shots but he handle it all exceptionally well.

And our youthful defenders all were outstanding. Nothing got past them, and for most parts, Spurs were left with long shots. What was most gratifying to watch was that fact that the 4 forward players continuously came back to help the defense. Everyone played for one another.

On the strength of today's wonderful performance, I honestly cannot see anyone taking the title from us. Screw Shitty and Chelsea, they are simply not at our level. Not even close.

Poor Game, Good Result

WBA 1 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
WBA: Long (36)
Manchester United: Rooney (12), Reid (og 81)


Team: De Gea, Vidic (Evans 55), Rio (Jones 76), Smalling, Fabio, Anderson, Cleverley, Nani, Young, Welbeck (Berbatov 65), Rooney

Barring the first 20 or so minutes, this was a pretty poorly played game from our standpoint. De Gea suffered a second howler in successive games but was ultimately rescued again late.

We came out blasting out of the gates when the game started and promptly got a delightful Rooney goal on the 12th minute. The goal was well worked out between Rooney and Young. The chances were there but none were on target as our ascendancy slowly faded under the workman-like pressure from West Brom.

De Gea did well to parry a powerful shot by Scharner when he broke thru the defence. However minutes later, our new no.1 was once again found lacking when Shane Long's weak shot from the corner squirmed under his arms, much like how Dzeko's did a week earlier.It brought West Brom level and gave them the confidence to take us on.

We could hardly string a series of passes in the second half. And as the game progressed on, West Brom were the team that looked the likelier winners. They looked especially dangerous on set-pieces and with the team's confidence on De Gea at a low, it just made it more nerve-wrecking to watch. Both Vidic and Rio also left the field with injuries.

In the end, it was abit of magic by Young who broke the deadlock. He wiggled past his man on the left flank and whipped in a cross that met with a double deflection and into the net. Somehow, despite not looking anywhere near our best, we managed to pull one out against a resloute team.

With all our so-called contenders drawing in the opening weekend, this has to be a huge result, even at this early stage of the season. More importantly, we've navigated a difficult away fixture with all 3 points. If West Brom plays the way the played today, I doubt many of the pretenders will have much to cheer about when they leave the Hawthorns.

United Takes The Shield In Style

Manchester United 3 - Manchester City 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Smalling (52), Nani (58, 90)
Manchester City: Lescott (38), Dzeko (45)


Team: De Gea, Vidic (Evans 45), Rio (Jones 45), Smalling, Evra (Rafael 71), Carrick (Cleverley 45), Anderson, Young, Nani, Welbeck (Berbatov 89), Rooney

Pre-season
Before I do this, I have to say that this has been a truely awesome summer. We opened the chequebook and acquired Young, De Gea and Jones as part of our retooling project after the departures of some experienced players, some via retirements and others off the greener pastures. Make no mistake, these players will be sorely missed.

We've also been absolutely a peach to watch during pre-season. All our keepers (De Gea, Lindegaard, Amos) performed wonderfully and worthy successors of Van der Sar's no.1 jersey. The only thing lacking is that little bit of experience that will differentiate them from good to great.

Our strikers were all on form and viaing for the starting position. Hernandez had a sizzling performance in the Gold Cup, while the others (Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Macheda, Welbeck and Diouf) all scored in the pre-season and looked extremely hungry. It's a pity only 2-3 will be used in the regular season.

Even in midfield, where we looked like lightweights, was churning out a surprise. Anderson and Park showed fine form, while Cleveley looks like a real keeper.

Just to emphasize how good our pre-season was, even Obertan looked the part. It seems like he's finally learnt the finer points of playing the wing ie. when to shoot and when to pass. Unfortunately, with the depth in that department, he's been loaned off to the crybabies (Newcastle). If he gains the kind of experience Cleveley and Welbeck did last season, we'd be looking at an awesome player come next season.

Community Shield
Amazing game, amazing result. To add to that, we practically did it with kids. In your face Shitty.

Well against the run of play, we conceded late in the first half after dominating most of the play. After a dumb foul by Evra, Lescott rose the highest to head the freekick into De Gea's net.

To make matters worse, De Gea was found lacking when he allowed Dzeko's rasping shot fly by him. Must have been a nightmare for De Gea, but he proved his worth in the second half with a couple of point blank saves that justified why we paid a princely sum for him.

The second half was when the true United turned up. It wasn't a surprise that the usually ineffective Carrick was replaced by a youthful Cleverley. Rio and Vidic were also replaced and the centre pairing of Evans and Jones did really well.

With age replaced by youth as the theme of the second half, it wasn't a surprise that Smalling stole the thunder when he connected to Young's freekick to direct the ball into the net with the entire Shitty defense napping.

Nani added a quickfire second after some beautiful inter-passing by Rooney and Cleverley set him free. It was all United all day. Shitty struggled to get a sniff of the ball as we passed the ball around the park effectively and efficiently. Cleverley was a marvel to behold. His range of passing and workrate is top notched. If he can play at this level consistently, it seems that our woes in midfield are finally over. Sneijder who?

Just as the game was edging towards penalties, Nani turned defense into attack with a lightning blitz after Kompany failed to clear the danger and sprinted off in the opposite direction, around Hart and gleefully passing the ball into the empty net before the final whistle.

It was a truely wonderful perfomance coming back from 2 goals down to stick the dagger to silience the perpetual noise. It's a very encouraging result with so many new and young players. We once again stamped our authority and once again showed the rest of the league that we're still the ones to beat.

Season Report Card 10/11

I've been dragging my feet in the mud to do this, partly from the disappointment of being beaten in the Champions League finals, which I have a hard time getting over (more on that later), and partly because I really don't know how to grade this team.

In many ways, we have performed beyond my initial expectations at the beginning of the season, yet at the same time, I can't help but wonder how much of Arsenal's and Chelsea's loss of form at various points in the season helped us. Let's face it, Chelsea looked to canter away with the title at the beginning of the season until the turn of the year where they somehow couldn't win to save their skin.

Arsenal are Arsenal. As with the last few seasons, they are somehow able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Just like Benitez with Liverpool, Wenger is one stubborn son of a bitch. And we're just thankful he's one.

Couple that with our own feeble away record, it's really hard to say that we won the title, instead of them losing it. Yet we did. And to top it off, this isn't just any ordinary title. It's a special one. The one that took us over the top, the one that knocked our hated rivals off the perch.

Still the significance of the Premiership title and the sole accolade of being the 'Best in England' left a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth at the defeat...no, utter destruction at Wembley a week later. It was not only a loss for me last weekend. It was a realization that there is no way this team can ever be the top of the European class as long as Barcelona is around.

Some of their best players are young....really young. Messi is only 23, Iniesta is 27, Busquet is only 22 and Pique is only 24. These guys are the spine of the team going forward and I've not included guys like Villa, Puyol and Xavi who still have a few good years left in them. Not to mention an academy that keeps on producing gems like Pedro and Krkic. This is a team that is not only good at the present but built to continue into the next 10 or so years. We might be able to beat them once, maybe twice in that span of time, but this generation will belong to Barcelona unless something calamitous happens, like them running out of money and needing to sell Messi. That scenario seems more likely to happen to us though.

This is the realization that's kept me bitter for the past week or so. We maybe the kingpins in England, but in Europe, we're at best a second rated team. That said, I still enjoyed immensely the journey to the Champions League finals. It's the destination that was best forgotten.

I suppose with that rant off my chest, it's time to get down to business to rank the team.

Edwin Van der Sar (A+)
Wish he could stay another year. By far the best that we've had since Smikes. He kept us in a number of away fixtures and a real pity he couldn't end his career on a high. He'll just have to make do with being part of a team that kicked Liverpool off the perch. Wish him all the best in life.

Tomasz Kuszczak (C)I suppose he's on his way out too. I haven't been harsh on him the last couple of seasons and thought he was never given a fair chance. However, this once again proves that Ferguson knows so much more than me. Kuszczak was given ample chances to stake his claim as Van der Sar's successor, but he kept on fluffing his lines. I still think he's a good keeper, unfortunately Old Trafford is simply not his stage. It was almost painful to watch him at times. Wish you the best at your next club, hopefully the fans over there would be kinder to you.

Nemanja Vidic (A+)
Don't fuck around with our Serbian Terminator. There is a reason why he won the Barclay's Player of the Season award. He's simply the best at his position, not to mention the most consistant. I've used this term on him in previous report cards and I'll use it again today: Solid as a rock. And he made Captain this season.

Rio Ferdinand (A)
Didn't get to play as much as he would have liked as injuries ravaged a good portion of the season. However when he's played, he's been quite excellent. The only reason he's not getting an A+ from me is that he just can't keep his bloody mouth shut. He simply loves the attention and has to have his two cents worth to the media everytime anything controversial comes up. And he nearly gets a B for thinking of himself as a United legend. Still long way to go Rio, still a long long way to go before you can even be elevated to that level. There is a 12 step program to reach there, beginning with the first step of admitting that you're a dick and an attention whore....


Chris Smalling (A+)
Holy moly Batman! In a season that hasn't been too impressive, he stood out like a shining becon of light. He's been amazing, absolutely amazing. Hardly put a foot wrong whenever he came on the pitch. I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I really do think he's our new Vidic/Stam. Not to mention he's looked great from set pieces upfront too. However before you get as excited as me, I used to say the same about a certain Johhny Evans...


Johnny Evans (B)
This came close to a C, but that would have been slightly unfair to him. Let's just say this has been one season to forget for Johnny.

Patrice Evra (C)
Evra's probably been our worst defender this entire season. I don't know what's wrong with him. Maybe the fallout from the World Cup over last summer has finally gotten to him. He doesn't defend, he doesn't go forward, in short he pretty much sucked this entire season.

Rafael (B)
Plenty of potential from the lad. However he's very reckless trying to make the telling tackle instead of sheparding his attacker into less dangerous positions. Suffered a pretty bad injury somewhere in the season and lost he's place at right-back to his twin Fabio.

Fabio (B)
Despite the poor season Evra has, he's been unable to dislodge the French pisser. Instead got his chance at right-back. Frankly, I can't tell the brothers apart, but for the one distinct difference that Fabio seems like the calmer player in defending. He doesn't rush things as much as Rafael. Didn't set the stage alight, but didn't do badly either.

John O'Shea (A)
Left, right centre, he's played them all, and played them reasonably well. Once again O'Shea was called upon when the early season injuries plagued the team. There were even a couple of games where he stole the show at right-back. Sadly for him, he wasn't prominantly featured at the later stages of the campaign. Steady but unspectacular.

Gary Neville (A++)
Before you go screaming your head at this grade, hear me out first. This is a truely biased grade and I'll gladly put my hands up. If we're grading his playing this season, he gets an outright F. However the true greatness of the man was to bow out when he knew his playing days were numbered. And in doing so gave a chance for the younger players to gain valuable experience, at the same time losing out on a medal at the end of the season. Take note Rio, that's how you freaking become a legend! And the extra + is for turning up with the away supporters at Stamford Bridge! Freaking Legend!

Paul Scholes (A++)
Another super biased grade. I'm a huge huge Scholes fan and rather sad that's he's decided to hang up his boots. But when Father Time robs of the gifts of Mother Nature, retiring is the right thing to do. He had a brilliant start to the season and was our little general in midfield. He was pulling all the strings and for a while there, it looked like he was going to go on for a long long time, however as the season wore on, he got increasingly frustrated that he couldn't produce that level of football and it resulted in some really woeful tackling, which has been his trademark. Ultimately, it probably led to Scholes calling it a day. We will miss you terribly.

Darren Fletcher (B)
Didn't really have a good season and it didn't help that he caught some virus that really prevented him from doing anything meaningful this season.

Park Ji Sung (A+)
You know, there was one season where I used the term 'industrious' to describe him in a rather condescending way. This season is the exact opposite. He's absolutely industrious and in a midfield that lack any sort of creativity, his industry was exactly what was needed. He's possibly one of the brightest spark in a midfield that as woefully short of any.

Ryan Giggs (A)
Some players are like wine, they get better with age. Giggs is one of those rare ones. He's been playing a more central role and somehow at his age, just seems to have bundles of energy. It isn't his best season, but better that the last few season's combined. Maybe the fountain of youth isn't a fantasy afterall.

Antonio Valencia (A)
Started well and ended well. Missed the entire in-between part with a horrible ankle break. When he returned from that injury, he carried on from where he left off, and that's being a huge threat on the right. The only downside of his return is that Nani became rather crap on the left.

Nani (A)
Had his best season in a United jersey. There were times he reminded us of Ronaldo, but such comparisons are unfair to him. He's his own man and this season, he really grew up and became one. He did everything, from creating goals to scoring them. Hell, he could even be counted on to help defend. Not to mention, he's said all the right things to the media, something you rarely hear from players nowadays. The only downside is that he's still prone to exaggration when touched.

Anderson (B)
Really hard to grade Anderson here. He's played a few games and has been rather hit and miss. There were games he absolutely dominated, and there were games he was piss poor. I suppose the talent is there, but the consistency isn't.

Darron Gibson (C+)
I'm trying to be kind to Gibson here. I think the more I see him play, I more I think he's not going to make the cut at Old Trafford. I like the kid, I really do. I admire his grit and desire to etch out a career at Old Trafford, despite the offers he's had in the past for first team football. However at some point in time, he has to know that he's not going to make the cut. We can see it, Ferguson probably sees it, and it's about time he sees it too. I'll be sad to see someone who bleeds red leave, but for his career and future, it just maybe best to part ways. And if you don't make it to the next report card, I'll wish you the best in your future endeavours and as mean-spirted as I am in this blog, I really do mean it from my heart.

Michael Carrick (F)
Didn't want to even include his name, but I eventually have to. He gets an F for fuck off. I'm sure off the pitch he's a fine lad, but bloody hell, he's an absolute nightmare this season (and a few others). This Invisible Man act simply has to stop. It's bad enough playing a midfield that has little to no creativity, we have to handicap ourselves by playing him. He's probably had 4, maybe 5 good games the entire season and 4 of those were against Chelsea. For some unexplainable reason, he just finds his Superman costume against Chelsea and then reverts to being absolutely anonymous. And being anonymous is actually a good thing for us, coz when we do see him, it's usually some fatal fuck up. And he wonders why fans don't warm up to him!

Wayne Rooney (C+)
He came good at the run in, but let's not forget what he did in the beginning of the season. He wanted out and was angling for a good deal, which he got eventually. Despite all the good work he's done in the last couple of months, there are people like me who don't forget. He has since apologised and I have since forgiven....but I don't forget. To be fair to him, he starts on a clean slate next season. Until the next fuck up, I'll be watching.

Dimitar Berbatov (B+)
21 goals, Premiership top scorer and yet he somehow manages to fall down the pecking order. Ordinarily, I would have been screaming my head off that he wasn't included, but then again, it's Berbatov. I think I've finally pinpointed what his problem is, or to be exact, what our problem with him is....he never scores when it matters. This season, he's improved his attitude by leaps and bounds. He's been caught on camera chasing the ball, tackling and gerneally doing the things the fans love to see. There is urgency in his play, especially earlier in the season and it resulted in a hattrick of hattricks, including one against Liverpool, and yet we turn on him, get disappointed with him, and secretly glad he could be leaving. In a way I feel sorry for him. Whatever he does, it just turns out wrong. However having said that, put me in the category of being secretly glad there could be a distinct possiblity of him leaving.

Javier Hernandez (A+)
We did the impossible, we replaced Solskjaer. All he need to do now is to score a last minute goal at the Champions League finals to seal his legendary status. Pure genius move by Ferguson to pluck him out before the World Cup. And the best part is, Chicarito delivered. He did what Berbatov couldn't and that's to score when it counted.

Michael Owen (C)
Well, didn't expect much from Owen. He just didn't get the games and couldn't do much when he did. In any case, still glad he's staying another year, but the competition will get tougher as the young bucks on loan will return to add much needed competition up front in the next season.

There are some players that I would like to comment on that didn't make enough appearnces to garner a grade

Bebe
Don't know what to make of him. There are glimpses of why we paid so much for him, yet at the same time, not enough to justify the amount. However I'm going to take Dwight Yorke's word for it when he mentioned that it would take at least a couple of years for Bebe to settle down in England before his football education even begins. I suspect we're looking at a 4-5 year timeline, like the one we gave Ronaldo and Nani. So we have to make do with some good and loads of poor performances in the meantime.

Gabriel Obertan
Who? Looks like he's not going to make the grade. Like Gibson, it seems likely he's not going to make the cut. There's nothing wrong with his skills level. He's problem is up there in the head. He just doesn't seem to believe he's good enough and it translates to his play. Worse of all, it translates to the fans. Would be surprised to see him make the grade next season.

Wes Brown
Just can't buy a break can he? Looks like he's in Ferguson's doghouse. He's not getting any younger and to be fair to him, I wouldn't mind if he moved on elsewhere to squeeze whatever is left of his playing days. Reminds me of my friend's brother....so much wasted potential.

That probably about covers the all players in the first team. We also have some players who have gone on loan and some have done themselves proud.

Danny Welbeck - Sunderland
Didn't really have the greatest start while on loan, but boy did he burst on to the scene and couldn't stop scoring for the Black Cats. Of all the loanees, it would seem that he's the most likely to feature most prominantly next season. His experience and exploits at Sunderland will auger well in the next campaign.

Tom Cleverly - Wigan
Another one who seems to have done well at another Premiership club. He's goals have been crucial to keep Wigan in the Premiership next season. With the exception of N'Zogbia, he's probably their most important player in the run in. Likely to replace Scholesy position in the team, although it remains to be seem if we are raiding the transfer market.

Macheda - Sampdoria
Hardly did anything worthwhile at Sampdoria. Even he admits it was a waste of time. He's only scored on solitary goal in a cup game and hasn't scored nor featured in a majority of the Sampdoria games. To be fair to him, even the Sampdoria fans admit that the team's piss poor all season.

Mame Biram Diouf - Blackburn
He spent an entire season at Blackburn. Had a blistering start to his Blackburn career with a debut hattrick at Norwich in the League Cup, then scoring days later against Arsenal. But it all petered out, ending the season with only 6 goals in 29 appearances. It's doubtful he'll be around next season with the kind of talent we have upfront.


Ritchie de Laet - Portsmouth
Not very much information here and after all the writing in the past few hours, I'm a little tired to do anymore research. All I know is that he's been playing for Pompey at rightback, despite the left back position he plays for us. Not too sure about his performances, but from what little I read, the Pompay fans seem to be satisfied with him, so he hasn't done too badly I suppose.

Last but not least.....

Alex Ferguson (A++)
Not too sure how the fuck he got this bunch to win the title, but he did. Let's face it, with this midfield, especially playing Carrick so much, it's a wonder we managed to draw so many away games instead of losing them. The thing that has to be said here is that Ferguson has instilled a winning mentality in the team. We never ever say die and keep plugging away until the final whistle. Despite his stubborness in playing some players, he always manages to bring out the best in the team. It will be a sad day for all United fans when Ferguson finally calls it a day. Maybe the defeat to Barcelona might be the best tonic to keep Ferguson going. Just like his teams, Ferguson never gives up.

United Given A Lesson In Football

Manchester United 1 - Barcelona 3
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (34)
Barcelona: Pedro (27), Messi (54), Villa (69)


Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, Fabio (Nani 69), Evra, Carrick (Scholes 77), Giggs, Park, Valencia, Rooney, Hernandez

It wasn't even close. After bossing the Premier League, United were on the wrong end of the footballing scales and a fish out of water against an incredible Barcelona team, that in my opinion is probably the best footballing side to ever grace the world.


Barring the first 10 minutes, where we worked our socks off to make a semblence of a fight, the rest of the game was all Barcelona. After finding their feet, they went on to completely and utterly dominate the ball and got a deserved lead when Pedro scored for the Catalans.

We pulled one back when they fell asleep 7 minutes later with a well worked out goal which involved Carrick, Giggs and Rooney, but that was probably all that we could muster against the masters of the game. They had such complete control of the ball that we were made to look like a pub team....a very poor pub team. I've mentioned before just how poor our midfield was, and we barely had a sniff of the ball the entire game.

While Van der Sar, Rio and Vidic had superb games to keep the scoreline respectable, Evra was missing from his position all night long. Evra's had some bad night before, but this probably has to rank right up there as one of the poorest EVER.

Barcelona's master class finally broke thru in the second half with goals from Messi and Villa. Only Van der Sar's sheer brilliance prevented a worse whipping for the men in red. As long as this Barcelona remains, Ferguson will have a hard time finding European glory, especially with this midfield that is barely good enough in England, let alone against the prowess of a team like Barcelona.

It's back to the drawing board for Ferguson, and we can only hope with a substantial, rumoured warchest, we'd be able to bring in some real midfielders.