Summer Sale: Smith Sold to Newcastle for £6 Million

We must be really confident of getting Tevez by this weekend. Just a day after letting Rossi leave, we've lost Smith as well. While I'm not overly heartbroken over this latest departure, it still leaves our front line really thin. As of right now, we have Rooney as the only recognised and healthy forward. Ole is out till a much later date and Saha's perpetually unreliable.

The word out there is that Tevez has finally been released, but until he holds up a United jersey flanked by Fergie wrapping his arms around him in a press conference, I'm not jumping the gun. Even if Tevez signs before the weekend, we're still only two strong in the striker's department. I'm frankly not sure he'd be ready for the Charity Shield against Chelsea.

That means we'd possibly be fielding Ronaldo or Giggs along side Rooney. And touch wood nothing happens to of them in the next few friendlies. I'm really not comfortable with the current situation.

Here's a side note that I found rather amusing:
Villareal bought Rossi to replace Forlan,
Atletico Madrid bought Forlan to replace Torres,
Liverpool bought Torres to replace Bellamy,
West Ham bought Bellamy to replace Tevez,
No prizes for guessing who started the musical chairs.

United Slams Door On Rivals + Rio Rant

Liverpool Heinze Bid Rejected
Glad to know that United have outright rejected a Liverpool bid for Heinze. Good to know both Ferguson and Gillman are on the same page on this issue. However there is a cautionary note here, it probably also means that in the not too distant future, our rival clubs would not be selling their players over either. Not that it's a huge issue right now since there isn't anyone out there that I think fits into the squad.

More Summer Sales?
Ferguson has hinted that Rossi and Smith could very well be the next to go. This is especially so if the Tevez deal goes thru. While the fans would love to have them both in the squad, it is increasingly likely that neither would be able to play regular football in the next season.

I personally would hate to see Rossi go. After his loan spell to Parma, I've been watching a few Parma games and I loved what I saw. I'd go as far as saying that he single-handedly transformed the team and pulled them out of relegation. He gave the team a zest that was missing, not to mention scoring a boatful of goals in the process. I really hope there is someway to keep him with the team.

New Man Rio
Nice little fluff piece by the seagulls. Would be really sweet if he's a new man, but the scars of yesterday still run deep with this blogger. Unfortunately the article conveniently leaves out a number of crucial details on why he was booed so blantantly by United supporters.

He was booed by his own supporters in Tokyo, rowed with Ruud van Nistelrooy on the field and was accused of dragging his heels over a new contract. One of England's most gifted players was in danger of being labelled 'a big time Charlie'.

Let's not forget he stupidly missed a dope test, resulting in a 9 month ban. And perhaps most insidious of them all, he's 'chance' meeting with judas, Peter Kenyon, in 2005.

Sure he sometimes comes across as the dumbest person in the world, both on and off the pitch. But when it comes to money matters, he's definitely not daft. This was a guy who dragged his feet with contract issues, after the club and fans stood by him during the 9 month drug ban. He showed his 'gratitude' by negotiating his way to being the highest paid player in the club. I'm sure he has a huge family to look after.

Don't for a moment even think that his meeting with self-confessed United fan and now CEO of Chelsea, Peter Kenyon, was a mere conincidence. Ask Cashley Cole what came out of his 'chance' meeting.

Rio is a mercenary and has always been. This is evident from his move from his beloved West Ham to Leeds at a British record for a defender and subsequently to us, for yet another record fee. While he took no cut in the transfer fee, his wage skyrocketed with each move. His words and professions of love for the club have always meant little to me. It's always the $$$ symbols that attracted him.

That's why Rio will never be a United legend....for me.

Smith : Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

Nothing much has been brewing the past week or so. Most of the newsworthy sites have been devoting their time and effort on Theirry Henry's departure (big time bottler) and speculation on the impending collapse of Arsenal.

Admist all the excitement and grief, depending on who you support, apparently a bid in the region of £6million has been accepted by United. Given how hard Newcastle has been chasing Smith this summer, I don't expect them to lie down and play dead, despite it being part of their culture. Portsmouth is apparently in the chase for Smith's signature as well.

However all this is dependent on Smith approving a move North. Smith has shown a stubborn streak and has refused a loan move out of Old Trafford this season. There might be a chance he would scupper the deal and take his chances of fighting for his place in the team.

If anyone cares to remembers, Ole did it once quite a few years back. Spurs and United had agreed on a £5million deal to send Ole to London, but Ole, being the loyal servant he was, rejected the transfer much to the relief of the entire Red Army. As you know, he became an integral part in us winning the Champions League, forever immortalising his name in United lore.

Unfortunately Smith is not Ole. If Fergie can find another striker of pedegree, it would be in Smith's best interest to agree on a move. I personally would hate to see him go, yet at the same time feel he's not exactly what we need up front.

Heinze
I have no links for this, but according to a reliable source working for the local papers, Gabby Heinze has signed a pre-contract and is bound for Real Madrid in the region of £3.5million. I have no reason to doubt the person who told me, yet at the same time I have no idea what a pre-contract means or why it's so cheap. So don't shoot the messenger.

I would dread to see Heinze leave, especially given the dearth of good and experienced left-backs in the club. The thought of Evra starting next season is enough to send shivers down my spine.

Ferguson In Rare Interview With Local Manchester Radio Station

As you may have already been reading in the sports sections of the various dailies, excerpts from Alex Ferguson's interviews with local Manchester station, Key 103 have been making their rounds. The topics vary from cooking to his CD collection to ultimately football, giving an insight to his life outside of running Manchester United.

You can download and hear the interview here.

In other news:
Knee Surgery Delays Foster's Return - Edwin Van der Sar looks to remain the no.1 when the new season starts. Pretty bad news for Ben Foster.

No New Contract for Smith - Another bummer for Alan Smith. After all the trials and tribulations he has had to endure since joining us and, more importantly, winning fans and teammates over, it sounds like a bad PR move for the club. Will see how this develops. Moreover this is reported by the Sun, not exactly the seagull you look to when searching for the trawler.

Nani Passes Medical - Nani and Anderson both passed medicals. No doubts in my mind here.

No Work Permit for Anderson - Yet another news bummer today. It's a pretty damn silly rule, given the circumstances. For goodness sake, he's only 19 years old! How many caps does the immigration department want him to have??? He's played for Brazil at numerous levels (just not for the senior side yet). Alternatively, we could actually have some use for Richardson. Since his cousin, Charley Uchea, wants to be a WAG so badly, he can introduce Anderson to her. The marriage will kill off three birds with one stone. Anderson will get a British passport, Charley gets the fame she so undeservedly wants, and Richardson gets some love from United fans. Of course the loser in the deal is Anderson, but we don't really care as along as he get to play. ;)

Goalmouth Scramble - Not entirely United related, but thought this was a pretty thought provoking read. Below are some quotes from Platini and I find it hard to disagree with him:

"If your laws allow a US [citizen] or Saudi to buy a club he can do, but I'm not in favour of that," he said. "Chelsea, Arsenal or West Ham, they are part of the patrimony of England. They are part of the English heritage. It is not just a problem of football, it is a problem of society, of the government and the minister of sport. I like the identity."

Mr Platini's preference is for national leagues to be as national as possible, extending from the owner to the youngest player: "If you have a [club] president from Russia, a coach from Portugal and 15 players from France, why do you play in the Premier League?"

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.

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.

Old Boys Help United Zero in on Title (Everton 2 - Manchester United 4)

This is the stuff made for legends. 2 goals down and a thrilling comeback served up a sweet taste of toffee at Goodison Park.

Speaking of legends, there was a minute's silence to mark the passing of World Cup legend Alan Ball, which was immaculately kept before the start of the game.

Everton started both halves with early goals as United struggled to find their passing game. Despite the injuries faced during the run in and a relentless persue by Chelsea, fatigue is fast becoming our greatest enemy. Our play was sloppy and we failed to make that final pass when it mattered. The players looked like they were wearing weights on their feet for most of the first half.

On the 12th minute, Alan Stubbs thundered a freekick home, albeit with a telling deflection from the unlucky Carrick. It wasn't as if we weren't warned, as Lescott had hit the crossbar from a corner minutes earlier.

Our response was almost non-existent. Although we did dominate the first half, the final pass was always lacking. The Everton defence was sordid and did not allow an inch of space to the invaders in Red.

The second half started disasterously as Manuel Fernandes scored a stunning goal which Van der Sar could only flap at. In all honestly, the strike was so damn good, no keeper in the world could have saved it. 2-0 down and things were not looking good at all. Making matters worse was that Chelsea was leading in their own game against Bolton. Things were indeed looking glim for the men from Manchester. I'm glad I don't own a pet.

Our meek response was to take off the ineffective Evra, replacing him with Richardson in left back. Against a determined Everton side, who are fighting their own battle for a UEFA spot and trailing by 2 goals, it was perhaps better to give Richardson a run out for the midweek Champanions League game against Milan.

While the management probably had throw in the towel with a negative looking substitution, the players never hung their heads. Right on the hour, Iain Turner who has been playing in place of Tim Howard, inexplicably dropped a corner from Giggs, allowing John O'Shea to stab the ball into goal.

After playing like zombies for an hour, United were thrown a life line and my did they grab it like their lives depended on it. On came Ronaldo in place of Smith and the football was flowing. There was a sudden spring in the steps and United pushed forward for the equaliser.

And it came from the most unlikely source. Old boy and goal shy, Phil Neville somehow managed to score, perhaps his most important goal for United during a mad scramble in the penalty box. I hope his Everton teammates wouldn't be to harsh on their captain in the dressing room.

The other old boy, Rooney, completed the comeback in the 79th minute. He dragged the ball wide from the Everton defence and squeezed in the winner between Turner and the far right post.

Chris Eagles, who came on as a late substitute, put the sprinkling on the toffee, curling a superb 4th in injury time.

It was a superb victory given the circumstances and it was made sweeter by the news that Chelsea had drawn against Bolton. 5 points clear and needing 4 points from the next 3 games should see us home free. Surely we can't possibly screw this one up even if we tried...right? I certainly hope not, but we're United, and we've always made things difficult for ourselves, as this game has shown.

Another thing I just want to say here......damn we gotta be one of the most exciting teams to root for. The emotional roller coaster rides that we, United fans, go thru is incredible. And it's been going on and has gone on for quite sometime. My ticky ticker has gone thru some really tough times for almost 27 years, just by watching United play. I swear I'm going to have a heart-attack one of these days before I turn 40. I suppose the point I'm trying to say is that as much as I love the emotional spins we've gone thru the past week or so, gimme a Roma-type, non-nerve wrecking game anytime. Thrashings or boring wins once in a while is good for the heart. I'm sure some of the older fans reading this will understand where I come from.

Comfortable (Manchester United 2 - Sheffield United 0)

Two early goals, one in each half settled the game. We never really gotten our engine started when Carrick took on a beautiful pass from Ronaldo and lifted it deftly past Kenny in the 3rd minute of the game.

Rob Styles, as usual, was ridiculously inconsistant with his yellow card decisions. For most parts of the first half, he let Sheffied United get away with murder. The tackle on Evra which resulted in his substitution was horrendous. It could have broken a leg, yet Styles let the perpetrator off with a warning.

Smith too got a huge kick in the buttocks and his perpetrator got off with a warning. His shorts was almost ripped off in that tackle. Yet almost comically, Ronaldo's marker Geary was booked for a foul that looked really innocent. I never understand Rob Styles when he referees.

Anyway, early in the second half, Giggs made a sublime pass to Rooney and he swept it into the goal. Sheffield United, quite truthfully, never really looked like threatening our goal. They looked like they spent the entire game in a damage limitation exercise.

After going two goals up, we were also conserving our energy passing the ball around. It wasn't much of a spectacle, just a convincing win. Both sides knew there were more important games to expand their strength in the coming weeks.

Oh, and Rob Styles probably stole the show again in the second half when he denied a penalty to Sheffield United. Their chief striker, Luton Shelton, was blatantly brought down by Heinze, but Styles swallowed his whistle. Shelton's really impressed me. He gave our make-shift central defenders, Heinze and Brown a torrid time whenever he had the ball. Thankfully there weren't many opportunities for him to get the ball.

We've put the pressure back on Chelsea who faces relegation threatened West Ham tomorrow. Let's hope West Ham are desperate enough to make a fight out of it. It would be really sweet if they could do what they did to us to Chelsea.

And in the weekend, we face Boro in another late kickoff. Let's hope we fare better this time round.

FA Youth Cup
We beat Liverpool at Anfield 2-1. Couldn't catch the game yesterday. No torrents available either, so it kinda sucks all round.

PFA Awards
Ronaldo, Giggs and Scholes are in contention for the main award and Rooney and Ronaldo are in for the young player award. Quite frankly this year's awards are farcical at best.

I can't freaking believe Gerrard and Fabregas were even nominated. Gerrard isn't even the best player for Liverpool this season, and Fabregas was much better last season. Not to mention it's a travesty that Michael Essien isn't even nominated. And I haven't even mentioned players like Berbatov or Carragher, who have been outstanding for their respective clubs.

And don't even get me started on the young player award. Kevin Doyle!?!?!??! I would expect someone nominated in this category to be at least 21 or younger at the start of the season. I just don't get it.

FWIW, Ronaldo should sweep both awards. It's not a given, although the voting is done by fellow professionals, and they ain't exactly rocket scientists either. But I'm not expecting any surprises here.

We're Going To Wembley! (Manchester United 4 - Watford 1)

On paper it was David vs Goliath and the scoreline suggested so, but in truth for 67 minutes, Watford gave us a harder time than we had expected. What they lacked in quality, they made up with endeavor and determination.

Rooney belted in a stunner in the 6th minute and it looked like United would run away with the game. We were comfortably in control and threatening to score more while not even getting into second gear. Then Edwin Van der Sar probably broke his nose again, and after a lengthy treatment, Watford took advantage of our confusion and equalised thru Hamuer Bouazza's beautiful bicycle kick.

But their joy was shortlived when Ronaldo celebrated his new contract by popping up to put United back in the lead in the 28th minute. Parity was broken only 2 minutes after it was achieved. However brave Watford did not hang their heads down. They came at United with vigor and perseverance. An injury to Rio resulting in us reshuffling our backline, gave them more hope.

Cream has a way of rising to the top and on the 66th minute, Rooney scored his second of the night to effectively put an end to Watford's night. Up to this point, it was a tough fought game, and we had a hard time controlling the game, only relying on swift counter attacks.

With the cup tie firmly in our grasp, the rest of the night was spent by the players trying to get Rooney his hattrick. Richardson did eventually add to the scoreline in the 82nd minute with a delightful goal. It probably could and should have been more if Ole and Smith didn't only have eyes for Rooney.

In any case, the scoreline reflected the gulf in quality between the sides. We're going to Wembley for our third FA Cup finals in four years, quite an achievement.

Couple of things to note in the game:
1. Evra started in right back and was later slotted back to his usual left back. He looked terribly uncomfortable in right back.
2. Heinze started in left back and was moved to central defence to pair up with Wes Brown after Rio left injuried.
3. Fletcher came on as a substitute and played in right back. He had a pretty credible game there. Let's hope Fergie doesn't get any weird ideas playing him there long term.
4. Alan Smith was awesome today. He's probably my personal man of the match today. Some of his passes was pretty darn good.
5. Carrick is beginning to grow on me. He started off as Mr Invisible, then progressed to Neil Webb status, and now he's pretty much no longer my whipping boy here. That's quite an achievement in less than one season.
6. Off the ball movement was pretty awesome. If we can keep this up, we're going to out-score alot of the teams we're going to play in the next couple of weeks.
7. Injuries are hitting us hard and fast. As much as I dislike Rio, I hope his injury isn't too serious. Ditto Van der Sar. The squad is thin enough as it is.

Magnificent Seven (Manchester United 7 - Roma 1)

If you are seeing the scoreline here for the first time...yes it's SEVEN, and your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm personally finding it hard to believe the scoreline myself. I spent much of the half time break pinching myself.

After a dismal week and in danger of it getting worse, United cooked up a feast for the fans. My word, what a game. Words can't really discribe what a magnificent performance it was, they really can't. I'm glad I got to watch it with Kentona over the handphone, staring at our respective computers (btw, Kentona, I'm sending you my hp bill to you next month).

I wouldn't even try to put into words the game, it wouldn't do the performance any justice. If you haven't caught the game, go learn how to use bittorrent and torrent it at mininova.

All I can say is that every single one of the players on the pitch was brilliant. And every one of the goals scored was spectacular, each one better than it's predecessor, including the sole consolation by Roma. Once the floodgates opened in the 11th minute, the goals just kept on flowing.

By half time we were 4-0 up and the scoring continued in the second half. By the hour mark, the referee should have spared Roma the cruelty of playing out the game. United were utterly utterly awesome in every department and could've been in double digits by then.

I'd just keep it simple and post the scorers here:
Michael Carrick (11)
Alan Smith (17)
Wayne Rooney (19)
Cristiano Ronaldo (44)
Cristiano Ronaldo (49)
Michael Carrick (60)
Patrice Evra (81)

Most notably amongst the 14 men who took the pitch, one stood out as the Man of the Match....Darren Fletcher. He was outstanding beside Carrick, stopping every Roma attack at it's root. Carrick (my favourite whipping boy) was superb as well, scoring 2 incredible goals.

I'm still in a daze over what I just saw. This is probably the most dominant I've seen United play in Europe. Probably not the most exciting, but by far the most dominant. Bring on AC Milan/Bayern Munich.

Preview : Europe XI

Had some spare time so thought I'd put up some news reports and some of my own comments.

Becks set to mend ties with Fergie - Don't care what others have said, but Beckham will always truely be one of the lads for me. He bleeds Red. It's a pity he's down with injury. It would have been a fitting farewell for the fans to have him play, albeit for the opponent.

Zidane Avoids Metarazzi - Zidane declined an invitation to play alongside Metarazzi for the Europe XI. Just as I always thought, Zidane's a pussy....and a petty one at that.

Congested Fixture Gives Smith A Chance - Forgotten man, Alan Smith might be in with a shout to play regular football after the draw with Boro. Larsson leaving and injuries to both Saha and Ole also strengthen his cause. On top of that, Rooney's been rather off form lately, doesn't hurt either.

Keano, Next United Manager? - It's more of a Sunderland article, but a good read nonetheless.