The past week and half have been a struggle for United fans, players, and staff. Last week I got the inevitable Bolton tie correct, and knew Germany would be tight but expected us to do the business. My quotable about the Chelsea matchup of “perhaps its time the future captain of England tares the banished captain to pieces” was wholly unjustified; the future captain sat in the stands watching with crutches.

Bolton 0 – United 4

The Bolton game was tight for some of the exchanges, and as I had expected we were pushed into a physical confrontation in many areas of the pitch. Perhaps the reason why I like our team in its current form so much is that we have kept some of the hardened edge of old, and can still pass it around with rhythm when needed. These qualities were not on show in later matches this week, but here they were there when called upon.

The first own goal was kind of hilarious, in that the defender just side footed it perfectly in. It was from a Giggs low-cross which should have been dealt with, just chalk another down for our second most prolific goal scorer (no-not Berbatov). There was a moment when Berbatov turned a cross to the near post with some exquisite skill, but the goals United scored goals didn’t come until the second half. A save from a Muamba shot was world-class from VDS.

The second goal was a tap-in by Berbatov from a bad mishandled save by Jaaskelainen from a Fletcher shot, the next was a nice outside of the foot stab home from a Nani cross. The final was from a well struck shot from Darren Gibson that ricocheted off the cross-bar.

Bayern 2 – United 1

The game started off well, with the Bayern defense capitulating in a free-kick and poor marking causing Rooney to score. The rest was rather drab for United fans, as it almost appeared as if we were content to try and stave off the game and control it. And to be fair, it appeared to work all the way up until Rooney turned in the wall to allow a Ribery free-kick to deflect off him into the bottom corner.

A tied result with an away goal would have been a good result to take home to Manchester with us, but unfortunately Evra decided to go wandering with the ball on his foot in our box and was found wanting. Olic took it from him and pelted it into the back of the net, with VDS only able to watch in disbelief.

It was one of our more disappointing performances away in Europe for a long time, and ended a long standing unbeaten streak. I was disappointed in the outcome, but hoped we would fuel our desire against Chelsea on Saturday. Hmf. It was only made worse by Rooney limping off at the end of the match, with the nation worried of what it may mean for England.

United 1 – Chelsea 2

The initial goal from Joe Cole was quite nice, a deft flick which left VDS for dead on the near post. Malouda seems to be reborn in a Chelsea shirt, and from what I have seen of him over the season he has become quite a good player. One to watch in the World Cup I would guess. The rest of the match was controlled by Chelsea; they had a massive amount of possession for an away team with around 59-65% on average. It seemed that our team was leggy, perhaps from mid-week, but that is a poor excuse for professionals in my opinion.

The second half started much better for the United faithful, and it seemed that they had renewed vigor. That could hardly have kept us going though a poor, poor, poor linesman decision gave them a goal. Drogba was probably so far offside he could of got groceries before coming back in line. It was poor, did I say that? Poor. The response was quick from Macheda as he bundled in a Nani cross: which begs the question how Nani is on the bench, and Berbatov is playing lone-striker at home?

I am not happy with Ferguson and his constant 4-3-3 against big sides. I understand that away in Europe it is a good formation, just look at the results of Barcelona and United using it. But at home? Against our rivals? Come on Ferguson. Rooney seems to flourish with it, but I never would hazard that Berbatov would. Different players need different tactics. Yet, he knows that, so who am I?

In the News – Rooney Injured

So it appears the damage is minor, but that didn’t stop words like “PRAY” appearing on the tabloids front pages. It is minor ligament damage from a “stomp” from Gomez, but I saw it as Rooney attempting to win a ball and failing. And of course, then they scored, great.

Rumor has it Rooney will be back for the Bayern game mid-week. Yea right! That would be stupid to risk him with a final run-in coming up. Perhaps on the bench, just in case, and that really shows just what our club has come to in regards to injuries on the front-line and lack of depth for strikers!

Next Week

Bayern at home deserves to be met with a resounding win, or we can kiss goodbye to Champions League football for the remainder of the season. And for that to come on the heels of what could be a chase for Premier League glory would not be good for morale, despite what Ancellotti might think about remaining fresh. Give the lads games, and lots of them. That is what I pay to watch as a United fan! Easy to say when you’ve spilled out of the Champions League, and in such emphatic style… right Carlo?

We are firmly placed where we need to be thanks to a tie by Chelsea to Blackburn. By keeping steady and assuming control of the games that are presented to us, we can easily now retain our crown. It will take patience and skill to do, while navigating Champions League ties, but it is more than in our court now.

United 3 – Fulham 0

This game had the possibility to be a hard one, yet United dominated the second-half causing Fulham to get rattled and diminish. The goals were quite nice, with Nani rolling a cross through to the well timed drop-back of Rooney who finished smartly. The second was after a fantastic run from Berbatov where he took on two players and fed Rooney who finished well. The final was a well deserved goal by Berbatov after diving to collect a right-wing ball from Park.

The game was a good one to win, after our poor run of results against the London club. He showed that we have resumed a higher-gear in the latter stages of the season to which the players and fans have grown accustomed to.

United 2 – Liverpool 1

It was revenge at our home ground after 3 losses to the old foe. This game was one for the action and emotion, as the first 15 minutes caused a cacophony of cheers and boos from the capacity crowd as Torres found massive space in the United box to head home. It was some terrible defending, but it seemed to help Vidic and Ferdinand concentrate and tighten up, as there were no more scares until the 80th minute.

The United reply was caused when Macherano pulled back Valencia all the way into the box, causing the Ecuadorian to fall down. Despite the commentators and pundits belief that it was a foul, and that it deemed a red card response, Rafa still believes that Valencia dived. But then again, Rafa’s players can do no wrong; except loose all silverware presented to them. The second attempt at a penalty by Rooney found the net.

It took more time for the second goal to come, to ease the nerves. United came out firing on all cylinders and they could have cruised to a victory if it wasn’t from some bad finishing, and good goalkeeping. Park scored a diving header after a nice cross from Fletcher who was given ample space by a marauding run from Red-Nev.

In the News - Champions League Draw

Bayern in the Champions League, haven’t seen that since a few years. They talk of revenge from 1999 but they already had that in 2001, so it would be a miser’s revenge at best. They also talk of a football festival, which probably means a nil-nil draw. Beckenbauer says that they fear Rooney, and Klinsman touts him for European Player of the Year glory. I’m not sure if that’s mind games or realistic admiration, time will tell.

Really the draw goes like this: French derby (Lyon, Bordeaux), 1999 Final remake (Bayern, United), Fancy football (Arsenal, Barcelona) and Jose in Abromovich homeland (Inter, CSKA). Its obvious that the favorites for the final are United and Barcelona, but here is to hoping that we have a different result.

Barcelona will beat Arsenal, but it will be close. I hope they don’t, to be fair. Inter should beat CSKA relatively easy, but not by a large score line. We will overcome Bayern at home. The French derby is harder to tell, I watched a Bordeaux game and they seemed confident but not spectacular. And Lyon was able to beat Real Madrid which is quite an exceptional show of defensive ability.

Next Week

We face Bolton away, which should be around a 2-0 win for United. The Champions League mid-week will be our away fixture in Germany. Then we have the tie of the season (perhaps, who knows what will happen to Arsenal) against Chelsea, at home. If we can repeat last year’s event, it will be a laugh. It’s hard to say; perhaps its time the future captain of England tares the banished captain to pieces.

They’re not the same. They’re aging. Whatever excuse the press may want to give AC Milan, it doesn’t matter. They were simply outclassed by a strong United performance, and I for one feel all the better for it. Perhaps I am being strong using the word revenge, but in my gut, that is what it is. They have been a perennial foe of United, and in our stadium, under our lights, the whole bad taste was eradicated. Of course, there was that small victory over Wolves, which was not the best of performances, but Paul has been in exceptional form and helped out the lads.

Wolves 0 - Untied 1

The game was slow paced, and Wolves defended very well. It was a physical match and there were great demands on some players, although it was definitely not the best starting line-up we could have picked. Notably Rooney was not even on the bench for this affair, and with Owen already injured, it was obviously Berbatov with a chance for Diouf. The midfield was without Fletcher, so obvious with the match against Milan on the horizon. Gibson took his mantle, but did not wear it as well.

Scholes scored a nice goal, after some swift passing. The one problem with playing Berbatov as a lone striker is he will go about it in a much different way then a spear-head approach of a smaller striker. He will play the Crouch/Heskey type role that they play for England, dropping deep and linking up play. The problem is that Valencia and Nani are not great goal-scoring wingers and always prefer the pass over the shot and even more for the former rather than the latter.

It was a performance that merited the points, but by no means the margins that we should be achieving against the likes of Wolves; with no disrespect to Mick’s team.

United 4 - AC Milan 0

I took the day off work, and I was very nervous. I even had a dream that we lost 2-0 and was extremely angry, but was happy to find it was the glimpses of death bravado rather than reality. We played incredibly well, as a team, and everyone deserved the accolades they received. Rooney scored twice, and for that reason the British tabloids have him splattered across the headlines. Yet when you look at how and who were involved in the goals, it shows how much of a team effort it was.

The first goal was scored by a delightful Gary Neville cross that Rooney expertly knocked into the bottom corner, tremendous aerial technique against the onrushing centre-back. The second was from a perfectly weighted outside of the foot pass from Nani, even after Rooney was berating him to let it go early, it was perfectly timed and split the defense. Rooney did what so many players fail to do, and did the simple dink around dthe keeper once he was fully committed.

Then it was Scholes laying a lovely through ball, which Park turned (I swear, he is the most gifted on the pitch for his ability to turn on the ball) and shot hard and low despite loosing his balance. The final goal came from a lovely far post cross from Rafael and met a diving header from Darren Fletcher. The rout was complete, and I cheered the last goal much like the first. It was fantastic.

The notable facts to bring out of that are that 7 players were involved in the goals: Rooney, Neville, Nani, Scholes, Park, Rafael, and Fletcher. Its not hard to see that two full-backs setup two goals, a stark contrast to that of Milan. It was also evident that Park, Scholes, and Fletcher, the three man midfield also contributed in goals and in work-rate. The front wingers of Milan did not track back, and Hunterlaar and Ronaldinho did little to help their midfield trio.

The final fact that manutd.com alluded to, was that despite the newspapers calling Milan the “aged pedestrians” (that they’re not), and United’s older faithful “experience”, it was completely unfounded statistics. The average age of United was 29, and Milan’s was 28. It is, as always, how the press wants to twist this tale. Although, it must be said, the majority praise United despite the poor show of Milan. I think, in the end, United play the 4-3-3 much better than most teams, except perhaps Barcelona. Yet if we meet them again this time round, I think we will play much better with it than before.

Next Week

We face Fulham at home this week, which will be a tight game but in the form we are enjoying I think we turn around our miserable record against the Londoners. I would expect it to be a one goal margin for United. The week after is the big game, the Liverpool home game. If their current form against Wigan and Lille is anything to go by, it should be a walk over. But, as in the past, we seem to get the wrong end of a team once bitten. Here’s hoping Vidic stays on the pitch.

The past week and a half was great for United except for the obvious loss at Goodison. I knew the Everton game would be hard, but hardly would have predicted a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Toffees. The West Ham victory was a much needed response, and was in line for my prediction at 3-0. The Carling Cup victory was excellent, and I really enjoyed the game. The only disappointment was the injury to Owen which marred an otherwise excellent start from the United number 7.

Everton 3 – United 1

It was not a good game for the United faithful, and our star man did not seem in his ruthless form of late, and indeed on most visits to his old stomping ground. Evra conceded the lads were tired from the AC Milan San Siro heroics, but he did not leave it as an excuse. As he said, and I agree from what I saw, the Everton players were just much more up for it.

The first goal by Berbatov was a nice quick reaction shot from the Bulgarian. Their response was quick and came from a mistimed tackle further up the field, the finish was spectacular but the chance was gifted. The next goal by Gosling was after the break and followed shoddy defending by Evans and Evra. The last was a nice goal by Rodwell, breaking free of Evans and slotting it across Edwin. Both of the youngsters from Everton did well with their goals.

United 3 – West Ham 0

United wasted no time getting onto the front foot and did a great job against West Ham. The first goal was a great interplay between Berbatov, Valencia and Rooney. The Buglarian floatd a delightful cross and Valencia one-timed the pass back across to Rooney who powered the header into the bottom corner. The second was much the same with a reverse pass by Berbatov, a cross from Valencia and a steered header by Rooney.

The last goal was an exact carbon-copy of the dramatic winner in stoppage time against Manchester City, except that Scholes was the creator instead of Giggs. Owen took a deft touch and curled it around the on-rushing Green. There were other great moments in this game, such as the charge by Rooney who easily pushed Green off the ball before attempting a curled shot back in at the net which was cleared off the lines.

CARLING CUP FINAL: United 2 – Villa 1

It was a great final, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was worried in the opening minutes when the penalty was awarded. It was so early in the game and it could either be the start of a cascade or the point where Untied turned it around. I for one never even thought about Vidic getting a red card, but that is all in the media today. It was neither until the latter stages of the first half; when after a tackle by Dunne chopped the ball up to Owen who calmly slotted it into the bottom corner.

It was an expert finish from the ex-England international, and Capello looked pleased in the stands. Owen played very well in the first half, and was pushing and battling along with the ever-industrious Berbatov who was flicking and tricking at his best. Rooney had to come on for Owen on the 41st minute, which will be disastrous considering the audience. Park had a glorious opportunity off the post before packing in for the first half.

The second half was all United and Rooney headed in a lovely cross from Valencia, by floating it up and over the out-stretched Brad Friedel into the top corner. It was a great goal. There was another chance to pile on the misery for Villa when Rooney was again dug out by a Valencia cross, where Rooney fired in another header off the upright.

I don’t think O’Neill and Villa can have too many complaints about the loss. United deserved the victory and showed why they are a cup winning side.

Even Richard Dunne conceded that with 10 men when United came to Villa, they still did not manage to score (in fact, United were the more likely). Have to say, Dunne is stand-up guy to say that considering his managers comments. He felt it would be a better final to not have Vidic sent off, and I agree.

Next Week

The international break may or may not see Wayne Rooney rested. He is fit to play, but really why would Capello even risk it? He knows Wayne is in great form, and he needs to find his supporting players and other combinations if god-forbid the star man picks up a knock before or during the tournament.

Then we face Wolves away, which should be a comfortable victory. I would hazard a 2-0 score line, but it may be more. Wolves will either be dismantled or provide a stern test until the latter stages. Either way I feel the result will be inevitable.

It appears Chelsea will not be playing in Gameweek 29, so it gives us a chance to put some pressure on them. Arsenal, however, are hot on the heels of both United and Chelsea, and we definitely have to keep our wits about us.

The game at Portsmouth was great for a few reasons. One it made own goals our second top scorer, which is hilarious and shows the pressure we exert on teams. Second, Rooney again got on the score sheet, something that is becoming more and more expected, and it was also a warm–up for the mid–week clash with Aston Villa who is also our Carling Cup Final opponents. Finally it was the much anticipated Champions League match against the old foe AC Milan, and I for one was nervous so it’s no surprise to hear Ferguson say he was nervous along with his players in the San Siro.

United 5 – Portsmouth 0

The doom and gloom for Portsmouth is becoming almost too hard for me to read. I read an article this morning that went on about the wind–up from the HMRS for 7M and now they are trying to get a policy removal for selling players outside of transfer windows by using the “club in crisis” clause. Well that clause sums up life at Portsmouth right now, and I can’t but imagine that poor Pompey fan that goes to every game ringing his bell, and what he must think about all this.

Either way Untied did the business and gave us a superior goal difference to all other teams. That is something that may or may not be a deciding factor during the run–in. The league has never been decided on goal difference to my knowledge, but you don’t want to risk it. The game itself wasn’t noteworthy, except for the score line. Most goals were tap–ins, but it was good to see Berbatov on the score–sheet.

Villa 1 – United 1

The score line doesn’t fully give justice to how the game unraveled. Martin O’Neil may have come out saying he was proud of his players, but that pride can only be in that they were able to hang on despite United having 10 men. United should have been thoroughly happy with the performance, which is why I have dubbed it a victory. Cuellar headed them in front early on, and then an own goal from Collins after Pat put in a low cross made the only goals scored in the game.

The drama came when Nani performed an elephant ballerina tackle on Petrov. The tackle may have been a yellow card offense, but its hard to say, as his studs were down but it was with two feet. These days you can’t go in with two feet even if you win the ball, and as Nani is a winger he should be aware of that. The worst part was that it was in the middle of the park, or perhaps worse still it was so early in the match.

Either way United carried the game, or for long parts it seemed as if it was Villa who had the 10 men. As the commentators kept saying, United would have undoubtedly put them to the sword if they had 11 men on the pitch. You could just tell the match was there for the taking. Nani needs to learn, but due to his recent performances with the club I don’t think it will cost him his spot when fit. Although, that was before the European match…

AC Milan 2 – United 3

The cauldron of the San Siro was hot on Tuesday, and I was looking forward to this match more than I have for a while with European nights. AC Milan is the old foe, and not in the good way either. It’s hard to forget the 3–0 drubbing of 2007 where United fell apart to the pressure of the atmosphere created by 80,000 fans. We’re used to it at home, but out there is a different story.

This night started the exact same way, an early goal that came from waves of AC Milan passing and pressure. The lads looked nervous, and Ferguson gave Evans a rollicking as he walked by. The defense was all over the place, and Ronaldinho was in great form. His goal was a lucky deflection, but who can say that after watching Paul Scholes perform a miracle deflection of his standing leg to leave Dida sprawling.

After the break United came out the dominant force. The tiring AC Milan no longer looked sharp, and it was Rooney who was able to capitalize. As the papers have now suggested Rooney devastated AC Milan with his movement, and after Valencia came on to replace the wasteful Nani the change paid almost immediate dividends.

Rooney scored a wonderful looping header, and the second came from a neat short cross from Fletcher as Rooney times his run between the two centre–backs perfectly. We were 3–1 up and looked comfortable, but in the last 10 minutes it appeared the nerves came back into play and Rooney’s old foreshadowing of saying Seedorf was the toughest opponent he has met, came to realization. A neat pass from Ronnie put Seedorf in, and the Dutchman performed superb skill to put the ball past his fellow countryman Van Der Sar.

Next Week

After the great result at the San Siro the lads are likely buoyant. When you couple that with our ability to go ahead of Chelsea in the league, as we play Everton before the blues meet the Wolves; then we play West Ham for the same opportunity; you know Ferguson will have them eager and willing to please.

Everton will not be easy, but Rooney and Valencia will make it a one goal difference win. I presume 1–0 but it may be 2–1 or something of that nature. West Ham should be comfortable and I will say 2–0 or 3–0.

In the News – Wayne Rooney

The best of all the news is the media touting Rooney as Europe’s best player of the moment. Even the countries who have always spurned the English as technically–inferior players are harping the praise after his devastating role in AC Milan’s downfall in the San Siro. When you add the 25 goals he has scored with 13 games left in the league and perhaps more in Europe, it is no wonder why the man is finally getting the recognition his teammates, staff, and fans already knew.

I won’t harp about how I knew he would be up for this award this year, but I will temper my own prediction from last season with the realization that we need to at least make it to the semi–finals of the Champions League and that England need to make it to at least the Quarter–finals in the World Cup for him to truly be considered the best in–form striker of the year.

In the News – Old Trafford Celebrates 100 Years

Old Trafford has been around for 100 years. It fittingly got kicked off with a United v Liverpool match on the 19th of February 1910. At manutd.com you will see the Top 10 games revealed by a panel of judges. The most recent game in the list was the thrilling Manchester Derby of September 2009 where Michael Owen grabbed a late winner in the 95th minute.

I hope to enjoy many more games at the great stadium, including the much anticipated return leg of the Champions League match with AC Milan. David Beckham will be returning for his first time since leaving the club in 2003 and I’m sure he will be crying, for joy and for the pain of being knocked out of the Champions League… again.

Ancellotti has come out to say that Manchester United needs Rooney. I’m not here to argue that fact, as it would be foolish to do so, as any team needs their in-form striker. Right? Well that is something that I wanted the facts to explain. The interesting part was when I stripped out the top scorers I found that Arsenal don’t have a top striker, it is actually Fabregas. Perhaps that is why their numbers least hold true, but I have included them due to their league positioning never-the-less.

Included below are the top 9 goal-scorers of the Premier League taken as of February 2nd. You will notice I didn’t include 10, as the 10th is a player from the same team. Included is “GD” which is the goal-difference when you take out the top scorer. The “GD%” is the percentage that player has scored. Then for the top 4 teams I have “PD” which is the points-dropped if the goals had never been scored. The “PD%” is the percentage of points dropped if those goals had not been scored.

What deductions can be made here? The following:

1. Rooney has a large effect on Manchester United’s goal scoring prowess, scoring 35.7% of all goals scored. He is solely responsible for 8 of 53 points or 15.1% of the total points from this season. This obviously does not include assists and general play.
2. The player who has influenced the goal-scoring the most in the Premier League is Darren Bent of Sunderland. He has a massive 46.7% of their goals, which would obviously have seriously injured their points gained (as they are outside of the top 4, this stat is not included).
3. The player with the least contribution is Fabregas, which we would expect. He has only contributed 11 goals of 60. Arsenal was scoring from all areas of the park in the early stages, with many high goal-scoring wins. That is why the influence has been less. He has only accounted for 1 point for his goals scored.
4. Ironically, Didier Drogba has the highest influence of all players. Makes Ancellotti’s comments very ironic. Drogba has accounted for 25.9% of all of Chelsea’s goals, and they would have dropped 9 points (16.4%) if he had not scored them. When you add on that he was away for weeks, it goes to show how vital he is.

A weird point that you can notice when looking at the current EPL charts is that Chelsea and United have been scored on the exact same amount of away (12), and at home (8). What are the chances of that?

Here is the graph that shows each fixture for the past 24 games, and the points with their top-scorers goals, and the points without them.

The conclusion? Every team needs their in-form striker, not one team more than another. It is definitely true that Rooney is in the form of his life in regards to goal return, and that is proved by his 5 goal margin at the top. It is however not true that he is the most point-influential player in regards to goal-scoring form, as this goes to Drogba.

Assisting

Now if we were to do the same thing for assists, Didier would come on top. I do know that Drogba had a great connection with Anelka early on in the season, but Rooney also delivers a steady stream of assists. Fabregas is listed as the highest Actim score at 481 so far this season, with Anelka at 426, Rooney 420 and Agbonlahor a close fourth with 419.

Fabregas has 13 assists, and is leading by 4 assists over Ryan Giggs in second spot. Frank lies third and Lennon fourth. In regards to our strikers, Didier is first (fifth overall) with 8 assists. Rooney has 4. #1 Assists for a United player? Valencia (6) in 22 matches, or an assist chance of 27%. That’s good for a winger, but Berbatov has 5 in 20, which is 25% for a striker. Rooney is 4 in 23, or 17% which is fine as he makes up for it in goals. Fabregas works out to a whopping 65% (13/20).

The past week has been formidable in doing a number of things for me personally as a fan, and perhaps the same for you too. First, it was nice to hear the comforting words (albeit perhaps rose tinted) from David Gill about our currently financial predicament. And then there is the resurgence of form from Nani and the ongoing world-class showings of Wayne. Coupled with a cup final on the horizon with a win over the noisy-neighbours and a win over one of our closest title rivals, could it get sweeter? Well yes, the news over the wire is Chelsea tied Hull!

United 3 - City 1

It was a game that had the chance of bellowing over into a media frenzy with a bit of football on the side. Luckily for us, we got to see some football. The last three match-ups between the Manchester rivals have been quite excellent. The first was a terrific late gasp winner from new signing Michael Owen which I watched over 20 times in slow-mo. The next was a 2-1 win with an old friend Carlos Tevez, who looks more and more like Rambo with fangs. And finally a terrific performance that stamped our authority and also had a small tad of last minute drama (when really, it didn’t deserver it, as Untied were again the better team).

The match was a good one, with Scholes putting in a nice drive into the corner at a perfect time in the game. Not too early, and not right at the stroke of half-time. Carrick tied the scoring with a trademark “I’ll put it in the corner shall I?” pass or shot into the corner. Then that same little scurrying Argen-amian devil scored a bundled attempt to volley, or as some pundits wanted to believe “a great back-heel”, yea right, and I really meant to fall over when I pirouetted the other night.

It all ended with a nice cross from Giggs and a neat unmarked header past the failing Given, who can take heart in that he basically single-handedly kept them in the second tie regardless of this result. It was nice to shut up City for at least another month, until we go for another short bus ride to the stadium and have to watch that silly blue moon like some Michael J. Fox tribute.

Arsenal 1 - United 3

Now how is that for a score line? I had the score down as a 1-1 tie in my I Know The Score until the night before. After seeing Wenger resort to foolish ribbing of Villa naming them a “long ball team”, unless he meant his own French Lawn Bowling Team, I have no idea what he meant. That was the sign of man grasping at straws, and the 0-0 score line made me wonder about their form.

And indeed, it was time for the trademark Arsenal double-back-flop that they always perform about halfway through the business-end of the season in true “I will be great one day, but I’m only decent right now” mentality. Many papers had headlines referring to the “boys against men” and “girls versus men” comparisons. Let’s not bring schoolboy insults into the avenue of sports, but I can see their reasoning’s behind the jibe.

Wenger can go on and on about potential, but I saw a 24-year-old and a 22-year-old single-handedly rip his team to shreds. Nani was excellent, and made Clichy look like a slow Ryan Giggs (an old man joke, that just hasn’t worked with Giggs this season…). That one move he did to beat the double marking and chip Almunia was exquisite, and the millions upon millions of United fans watching will be putting their rolling eyes back in place when they saw his name ahead of Valencia.

The second goal was master-class between the two, and gave me shivers down my spine as I had flashbacks of another Portguse winger performing the same one-two with Rooney at the Emirates last season. It was scintillating and perhaps the most important fact was that in the key moment Nani released the perfect pass, something that we haven’t seen enough of from the slick-footed might-be-great.

The final goal from United was a great ball from Michael Carrick that left the Arsenal defensive line looking like old-dears in beach chairs down Portsmouth way and instead of passing or fluffing the boy scored! It was delight and astonishment for all of us. The Arsenal goal was even a fluke, where Jonny Evans who played excellent all game made a small error and took the ball from a had-it-covered Van Der Sar.

Fabregas to Barcelona in summer? I’d bet on it. Maybe Vidic can be his pal on the bench.

In the News

Yes, Terry may have cheated on his wife. Strip him of his captaincy and all that.

Rio wants to miss the Villa final. That’s his choice I guess. Yet, with all the ravages to our defense, doesn’t Ferguson need to give him a jab with the old hairdryer? Or boot?

Rooney wants to break 30 goals. Alright then, let’s have a go. Who was that smart man saying he could win European Player of the Year? Oh yes, me. I also remember saying this would be his most prolific year yet, despite his mate leaving. Wow, I’m good.

CHELSEA TIED HULL 1-1 AT THE KC STADIUM. Now we just need Arsenal to do another trademark move: recover from a dip in form when it seems all but lost for their title ambitions.

Next Week

Well, the game in mid-week for Chelsea has really set us up for a treat. If Wenger can get some steel in that midfield to combat Lampard and Co. then perhaps we have a chance of watching United perch back up where they belong. There is a definite chance that it will end in a goal scoring tie, but I’m not about to put any money on that match.

Either Arsenal show up invigorated and deliver, or they don’t. But I guess we could say that about all 38 games over the season. United will surely make up the goal difference against a woeful Portsmouth, as if it ends in a fortuitous result such as a draw or loss for Chelsea, we only have to win, and by 3-0 if they tie. Well, there you have it then; we’ll win 3-0.

The past two weeks have brought some average results all in all. The defense has remained fragile, despite the return of Wes Brown and Jonny Evans. There has been good and bad news on the injury front, which seems to change daily. The financial issues affecting United seemed dire, although positive news has just arrived.

Birmingham 1 - United 1

This would have been a shock results only a few years ago (or perhaps even months), but now with the big pockets that Birmingham have adopted and the shrewd management skills of another Alex, in McLeish. The first Birmingham manager to receive Manager of the Month (December 2009), has broke the record for nine consecutive games with the same starting eleven, and a 12-game unbeaten run that is also a club record in the top flight.

It would appear that everything is going well for the Birmingham contingent. McLeish enjoyed glory days under Sir Alex at Aberdeen, and they respect each other. The game in itself was relatively un-moving. The Reds played well in the first half, but could not put a host of chances away. Joe Hart did well to deny the Devils, but against the run of play Jerome scored a poachers goal.

It took an own goal after some great wing-play by Patrice Evra, who has been in exceptional form over January, usually wearing the captains arm-band. The final score came somewhat fortunately to United overall, as Birmingham had opportunities in the second half that Kuszczak saved neatly.

United 3 - Burnley 0

The score line would make you believe that United ran somewhat rampant through a dishevled Burnley. Yet, despite losing Coyle to Bolton, Burnley did not loose any of the fight that has been instilled in them. Nor have they lost the nice pass and move game that has got them into the Premier League. They are perhaps the best footballing club out of the three new-comers, and have been punished or rewarded for it this season.

It has to be said Burnley squandered chances, most notably a terrible miscue by Nugent. Nice interplay from Nani (oh my!) to Rooney, with Rooney slipping in an inch perfect pass for Berbatov, who put in the ball from a tight angle. The second came from a spilled Berbatov shot, to which Rooney (who looked like he had made a poor decision by taking a touch) wiggled to put a shot into the bottom corner. Diouf scored a nice first goal for the club, by heading over the on-rushing Jensen in the dying moments.

Manchester City 2 - United 1

All the headlines were about Tevez wanting to score against United, although it seems strange as he did choose to leave United, and now he acts all sour. The funny part to all of it is he seems less enthused to celebrate with his teammates and fans, and more involved in “giving it to Gary Neville” or Ferguson, or United fans. I think its obvious he knows he’s at a second best, and where he wants to be.

United clearly dominated the opening stages and a nice ball from Valencia was turned in by Giggs. City was awarded a cheap penalty after Rafael deemed to tug on Bellamy’s shirt in the box. It was quite obviously outside of the box, and then Bellamy (probably noticing he had now reached inside the box) fell over. It was a dive, but the initial was a foul so a free kick should have been awarded. Graham Poll agrees.

The equalizer came after some terrible defending whereas Tevez was left relatively unmarked. A poachers goal for the currently in-form Argentinean. He felt the need to run over to the United bench and look like Prince Charles, but purposively it was a shout-out to some Argentinean cartoon character. Why does this guy have soothers and cartoon characters in his repertoire? We all have kids, but come on!

In my opinion Gary Neville didn’t say anything out of the ordinary; he just stuck by Ferguson’s decision that Tevez was too much money. This is something everyone agreed with, including the media. Just because City has to pay exorbitant amounts of money as they have no history to pull for players, is there problem. It became an inflated market. I mean, Lescot went for 24 million. What a joke! Neville is right, Carlos, get over it. He isn’t a boot-licker or a moron. I’ve had enough of this Argentinean; can someone please shut him up? I mean, its always a translation, the guys been here 4 years and still can’t speak English. Move on!

In the News - Financial Crisis at United

So, I can’t escape it. A few blogs ago I wrote about the Asian consortium that was going to come and buy from the Glazers. Purposively they had a cash deal of over 1.2B. I for one thought with all the issues that they would sell, take their tidy £250M profit and move on to say a women’s volleyball team or something. I was wrong, they came back with a “not for sale” sign (do they make those?), and since that moment we have heard nothing but the plunging debt surrounding our beloved club.

It appears however that, at least in most camps, this news is rather one-sided. In a world where reporting on death rather than birth is the norm, its hardly surprising that the facts that are bore to life are usually ones that bare no resemblance to the whole story. The truth of the matter is that United was, is, and will be a great sporting franchise, in fact the #1 in the world. It has global recognition that has been built over a long period of success (take note City).

The news about all the selling of Old Trafford (something that will likely happen to all stadiums in the coming decades, look at Newcastle, it makes good business sense people!), or at least the naming rights, and Carrington. Selling Carrington would be a little bit silly, as I can’t see the place selling for more than 80M at most. The smartest thing for the Glazers to do (and they are obviously shrewd business men despite what we would like to assume), would be to refinance the senior lenders and pay them off. Then via an agreement they will be able to pay down their initial and terrible “in leiu” or payment in kind interest loans.

Much like refinancing your credit card, mortgage, line of credit, Manchester united gear loans, and putting them into one large loan; that is what they have done. They just raised £503M which refinances almost all of the £508M debt. The other 200M debt would be paid via profit payments. The interest rates are currently at 14.25 per cent and the PIK loan has raised from £138M to £202M since 2006 (don’t work out what it would be in 2020, it’ll kill you).

What does this mean? Mainly that instead of paying approximately 81M per year in interest payments, United will be paying around £45M, lessening to £41M by 2017. That is when the bonds mature and pay out to the banks that have financed the refinance.

In the end, rest assured that Manchester United is a great business. Its not as if it will be like a Leeds and loose the hundreds of millions of fans, merchandise, TV backing, and global appeal over a year or two. That kind of decline would take decades, and there isn’t an analyst out there that won’t agree that on paper, once the lending situation and global economy climbs, United is the best sports franchise to own. That is why the Glazers will fight tooth and nail to keep it.

Sales grew by 10%, with media revenue increasing to £99.7M, commercial to £70M (from £64M). And despite all the cold climate recession bound wallets, match day revenue is up by 9% from 108.8 to 101.5M.

I hope you’ve read this and have some qualms put down. Another note is that a separate £75M credit line has been raised for Ferguson to buy. So if you were thinking that it was desperate times and desperate measures, the old man does have a pocket to delve into; but just like the other experienced managers of the top teams, very little spending will occur in January.

So here I am, sitting at home during my nice Christmas holidays, watching United thoroughly move up a gear. I’m thinking about how nice it’ll be to comment about our prodigious move ominously into the second leg of the season; the one we always do. Then the shocker happens, and it’s all doom and gloom in the forums and media.

Well let’s put it into perspective. In the EPL we won two (and might I add I predicted the 3-1 expertly, and of course I wasn’t expecting such an emphatic spanking to Wigan, nor the reverse-spank from Leeds), and we are out of the FA Cup.

The cup is half-full: We are out of a cup that may give us more injuries, the last thing we need right now; allowing us to focus on the Champions League and EPL (to a lesser extent retaining the League Cup).

The cup is half-empty: We need more players; our formations aren’t working; our strikers need new boots; our defense is leaky.

Let’s focus on the positives, shall we.

Hull 1 - United 3

Well, the score-line is somewhat flattering all in all. Rooney helped with that quite a lot, I’d have to say. He has got his boots somewhat re-aligned (ahem, if I talk without the foreshadowing headlights)… The scored one and setup the other 3, with a horrible back-pass. Valencia was once again a torrent of speed and tricks on the wing, providing Rooney with his opener.

The own-goal probably goes down to both Park and Rooney as it was pressure personified. Rooney with a nice pass, and Park rushing in for the tap in. The last goal was a superb pass by Rooney through the Hull defense for Berbatov to tap home. Somewhere in between all that was a Fagan penalty, but who really cares.

As I said, no Bullard, no Bullocks.

United 5 - Wigan 0

Well, de-ja-vu for all of us then? Kirkland must be sick with all this 10-0 over two lark. I’m not sure if he really hurt his back, or just thought to hell with this, let Pollitt get scored on for fun. And that’s really how it went over the course of the game.

Rooney missed a wonder-goal with a nutmeg, turn, curler, off-the-post type move. His goal was a tip past Kirkland from a Rafael cross. The second was a fantastic move with Berbatov throwing out a wonderful outside boot pass, to which the Ecuadorian cut his pass back to Carrick who did his usually side footed finish.

The third was a nice goal from Rafael, working a driven shot to the corner, giving his thumbs to his twin. (I noticed Fabio got praise for a goal in the Wigan game from the commentators, hmm that is the second time now. Tit-for-tat and all that.) The next a cross from Valencia, for a toe-poke finish by the Bulgarian. The final was a well deserved goal for Valencia, with a nice pass from Rooney and lobbed finish.

Two points to the good, like a horned Jackson, the Blues can see the devil in the mirror.

United 0 - Leeds 1

And yes. A defeat in the FA Cup.

Beckford scored a goal that Tomas should have saved. He never should have come out when Brown was obviously catching him. Yet that is pretty much nout, as United should have scored and it was terrible finishing from all areas of the park.

As Ferguson said, it was a shocking performance, and Phelan said it was unacceptable. I agree with both of them, and more importantly the words from Ferguson about Wednesdays match. Those young guns and members of the “can’t shoot a elephant with a shotgun” club should warm their arses on the bench. Especially the young four-tet who were mostly removed over the 60-80 minute marks.

Obertan needs to pass and use his pace on the wings; not cut inside. Welbeck should be played either as a striker or not. Anderson battled well, but thinks he has the boots of Scholes or Carrick for the pass, and just doesn’t. And Gibson scored a few volleys and now thinks he is Ol’ Deadeye.

In the News

Rooney is going to be hassled by yet another La Liga club. Well, really there is only two, so you guess it. The old Transfer foe is purposively massing a 65M pound scoop for the boy-wonder. Come on! That’s not going to work, some other “can’t find an article worth publishing” journalist already told us Barca has 85M.

I’d pick Barca over Real any-day. I mean, who wants to go missing under all that hairspray and fake-tan? I think the phrase “wouldn’t sell that mob a virus” is still true. I mean, yes we let Ronaldo go, but he wanted to and the money was great.

Money being great is not enough, when you have just sold your prized asset. The Glazers are putting together some interest-saving loan deal with the banks, and made 85M cash profit after paying their loans last year. Why oh why do we keep hearing crisis this crisis that? We’re not Portsmouth, their proof is in their pudding.

Next Week

So on Wednesday as alluded to we face City in a cup derby. It probably received less hype (and perhaps deservedly so) than the Leeds clash. I would expect a resounding response from the faithful, or the hairdryer will be at High Heat come sundown.

Here’s to a better report come next week!