The Manchester United Blog written by Ryan A. Lewis. Everything you needed, wanted, and didnt want to know about Manchester United.
2009 Archived Articles
2009 Archived Articles
Fulham 3 – United 0
Well, the score line says it all really. United patchwork defense was pitiful; I think the formation only enhanced that outlook. We had wing-backs and three central defenders. I honestly cannot remember ever seeing that formation, at least in the past three years. It was never going to work well, especially that we had Fletcher, Carrick, and De Laet in there.
As the commentator also pointed out, the defense is one thing, but what happened to our attack. At the end of the game there was our wingers and all three strikers, and we looked less likely to score than a 500 pound man in Siberia. It was lethargic, it was dispassionate, it was not United.
All credit to Fulham in that they deserved the win. They pushed well, and the goals they scored were nice enough. The second right at the start of the second half was brutal, and it sapped the strength out of the side. Wait, did I say strength? Well, we never had that, so it sapped something.
We need Rooney especially back to his ruthlessness, I can’t count how many shots the lads had that have gone awry. That leaves Berbatov, who a sublime flick aside, hasn’t done much over the past 5 games. I give it that he has maybe played for a total of 90 minutes over those, but still. When I think about the 30M pounds, I think of goal-scorers, and I know that Berbatov agrees. The adage of “great goal-scorer” versus “scorer of great goals” seems to apply largely to Berbatov.
Then there is Owen, who on a free has no such expectations, but other than that hat-trick, he too doesn’t seem to provide a cutting edge.
In the News – Transfers
So, after all that ranting about how dire we are recently, then we find out SAF isn’t going to be spending in January. Oh great, and here is me reading the gossip articles every morning to see what might be on the cards. Then again, as I pointed out last window SAF has the Machiavellian enjoyment of saying one thing and meaning another when it comes to transfer dealings. “We won’t make any more signings”, ok maybe just Michael Owen and the young Diouf.
Perhaps we will get our transfer targets, perhaps our transfer targets are not what we need. I for one think we need these players:
Yes, I know that #3 is already signed, but lets be real, he would be as good as a new signing after 1.5 years of lay-off.
In the News – Ronnie misses United
So I heard from my mates at the Mirror, that Ronnie is missing United. The Portuguese star was quoted as saying:
“What people think about me is their opinion but I really miss Manchester a little bit as I played there for six years and I left a few friends there.
So I miss the club a little bit but I’m focused now at Real Madrid and I’m really, really [not] happy [t]here.”
So if I choose to add in my parentheses it sounds like he might be back in a few seasons, perhaps for a cut price? Ok, ok, we all can dream.
News of the Week – An Old Red on his Head
The sacking of Mark Hughes is an inescapable story in the tabloids and media outlets, so I’ll touch on it a bit.
Goodbye Manchester.
Next Week
So we have Hull away, and then Wigan at home. As I probably won’t post again until the New Year we also have Leeds at home in the FA Cup. I presume we will get back to our winning ways at the KC Stadium, with a 3-1 victory. Wigan result will be 2-1, and we will beat Leeds 2-0 with the young guns laced with the grace of the oldies.
If what Ferdinand says is the truth, which is 50-50, he will be back for the Leeds game. Hardly surprising the former Leeds-man is targeting this game to be back. The fans will be going bonkers for that tie, as the feud still lives on even if it has to traverse leagues to do so. And of course somewhere in between all that football will be Christmas and a New Years celebration. Hope yours is merry and all that.
United 0 - Villa 1
This was a good game for the neutral, with much attacking football and counter-attacking, which played a very open game for both teams. The Agbonlahor goal could have been defended better, as he came in from behind the cross to nod it into the near post. Rooney hit the crossbar after a sublime touch that took him around onrushing defenders.
It does seem to me that Rooney is a little “off” recently, he still has the fantastic vision and passing but his shooting and “tuck them away” mentality is definitely not as sharp as say his fellow English counterpart Jermaine Defoe. I’m not sure if it’s related to the new baby, or just a period in his season, we’ll have to see.
The second half was run down by Villa, with a few scares and opportunities falling to our players but none being taken. Villa defended resolutely, pulling their players back into the box but being ready to counter-attack at a moments notice. Berbatov was very guilty of not putting a way a pass that was cut out to him; he fluffed his volley which is evident of someone that needs more minutes.
United 3 - Wolverhampton 0
The Wolves had an eye on Burnley at the weekend, and came to Old Trafford already determined to either receive a loss or tie. They played 4-4-1-1 which isn’t how they have been playing this season. It worked out well for us, although the first 15 minutes it seemed that United were going to give them a hiding, credit to Wolves they came back into the match.
The first goal came from a moment of madness whereas their defender Zubar knocked the ball from Vidic with his arm. Rooney dispatched the penalty expertly, I hope with Capello taking note that when the majority of penalties have been saved this season, Rooney has scored all of his. Unlike a certain Frankie of London.
The second goal was a powerful header from Vidic, something that I want to see more of. He is the “go get them” defender, while Evans and Ferdinand are the players who would stay back. He has the ability to score goals and cause defenses some serious headaches when it comes to set pieces.
The final goal was one of the best in weeks in the EPL, where Berbatov took a throughball down perfectly then with the lightests of no-look flicks, put the ball over his head perfectly in the path of an on-rushing Valencia who volleyed it into the top of the net. It was a superb finish to a good display. The perfect tonic after the loss of the Weekend.
In the News - Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs has been awarded with the BBC Personality of the Year, which by most accounts was just cause. He won the award by what has been deemed a landslide, and I hope it is an award on the way towards his eventual knighthood. None have contributed as much to the Premier League, nor have any taken as many medals.
His professionalism in the game is absolutely perfect, which makes him an ideal role-model for his team mates and soccer players/fans alike. He made a joke that this will be leverage for his next contract, saying he might even “put it on the table” in regards to the award! I don’t think he’ll need to do much negotiating in his current rich vein of form.
In the News - Takeover
There was also talk about a takeover by a Chinese group. They have been looking over Untied and the Glazer’s books for the past 3 months, and had tabled a 1 Billion pound bid to buy from the Glazer’s, as they see them as struggling to find the funds to pay interest payments of their 750M pound debt.
I have no problem with the Glazer’s as far as their laissez-faire approach to the manager and setup at United. I’m not sure if that’s down to our success, or the pragmatic and iron-fisted approach the Ferguson requires and commands. If we have either a) a new manger, or b) no top four spot or champions league football (like the FACT the secondary-reds our facing); would they begin to dictate?
Either way, I have to say that the though of new owners coming in, removing our debt, and providing Ferguson with some transfer kitty sounds great to me. Although, whose to say it’s not another Portsmouth takeover, when it sounded great but meant nothing.
Next Week
So we travel to Fulham on Saturday, as I said in my last post, I’m a little worried about Fulham. Sure we lost to Villa, but that was always going to be a 1 goal win either way, and it was by fine margins. We got 3 against Wolves and I predicted 2-0, but at Fulham I’m predicting another 1 goal win either way. We can’t take our foot of the pedal and a loss at this stage could cause some wobbles.
United always come out strong in the new year, perhaps the liquor lubricates the old joints better. I mean for Ferguson of course. If we can get an away win at Fulham, who are in form and flying high in both the EPL and the Europa League, I think that could help us as a catalyst.
The next game is Hull, which should be an easy grab of points despite their recent run: No Bullard, No Bollocks. That’s what I say anyways.
West Ham 0 - United 4
As I alluded to in last weeks post, West Ham have been leaking goals at an alarming rate. I said it would be 2 - 0, but pointed out it could be more. To be fair, it was a close affair for some of the opening stages, but after Paul Scholes did what he used to do best, it was downhill for West Ham. Scoring right before the end of the half is a perfect time, especially in the down-pour and with the make-shift defensive line behind them.
Gibson once again showed his growing comparisons to Scholes by scoring an even better example of an out of the box strike than his older counterpart a few minutes later. It was a fantastic strike, one that is almost unstoppable. Valencia nicked a tap in courtesy Anderson’s cross, and Valencia setup Rooney with the almost the same exact play from the opposite flank.
In between Diamanti fired a nice free-kick that Kuszczak saved well, and he continues to put Ben Foster firmly in the number three spot due to some fantastic saves and all-around solid performances in between the posts. It’s worrying times for West Ham, and the relative youth and inexperience of Zola in management showed when he refused to substitute an injured player, to which United took advantage and scored. When Gary Neville pulled his groin he was off instantly; but that being said I don’t think anyone could of told Gary otherwise judging by his yelling!
Wolfsburg 1 - United 3
Wolfsburg were gifted the best chance possible for completing a move into the Round of 16 for the Champions League against a decimated back line and front line of United. With 15 injuries to the squad, it was a shadow of the team that would be expected to play in a Champions League fixture. Wolfsburg were also at home with the strong and fantical German fan base; but it didn’t seem to help at all for the home team.
Owen played very well as an out-and-out striker playing off the shoulder. He showed the Wolfsburg men how to put a cross away with an excellent downward header into the corner. Wolfsburg tied it up with Dzeko, a rumored recent target for United, with a near post header.
After the break United slowly but surely played the better attacking play, and the linkup was getting better between the largely “midfield” players. The centre back pairing of Fletcher and Carrick appeared to be working well enough, although some balls that came in left Wolfsburg players completely unmarked.
Owen’s second was a tap in after a wonderful move from Obertan, on in the second half. He moved in and out of three defenders with the similarities of a certain gelled-tumbler that blessed the wings last season. That is probably as far as I want to take any comparisons at this early days of the mans career. And the last goal was very nice to see; that Owen still has a few yards of pace, receiving a ball not far from the half-way line, and running all the way to the Wolfsburg box. A light chip over the on-rushing goalie, and Owen has once again scored a hat-trick in Europe’s toughest team competition.
Well-done Owen. Of course, all the papers are talking about England-call ups, but I agree with the few pessimists in that lets not get ahead of ourselves. It was however, a great show that Owen is on his way to redemption in the eyes of the English faithful, who indeed all hold a soft-spot deep down for Owen.
Transfer Rumours, and Contracts
All the rumours were that Sol Campbell was going to sign to help our depth for the next 6 months with all the injuries to key defenders. Sir Alex was quick to dismiss this rumour, and said that Sol was someone they were actively seeking for employment.
One youngster that did secure his future with United was Danny Welbeck. He has now signed a new 4 year contract that should keep him training at Carrington until 2013. This is great news, as I have seen great improvement from the boy. His turn and go; his movement; and his pace are definitely going to be great assets for our front-line in the future. Now we just need to get his footballing brain and decision making up; mix that with some passing ability and I think we will have a finished article, and perhaps a partner for Rooney at England down the road.
Next Week
So this next week we have Villa at home, Wolves at home, and Fulham away. I look at Fulham as the toughest of the points, with Villa a close second. I’ll hazard we win the Villa game by 2-1, or by a similar goal difference. Wolves will be 2-0, and Fulham I hope to see a 1-2 for United. It will be tough, and could end up a draw if either our defense is not fully fit, or our strikers aren’t. Here’s hoping our players became dodgy at a less-risky time for the club.
The December/New Years games come fast and furious, and we need depth to our squad. Additionally with the Africa Cup of Nations impeding our rivals from London, it will be even more important that we don’t invent an Injury Cup of Trafford and have the exact same selection difficulties.
Here’s to hoping that Hargreaves is back for a Christmas game!United 3 - Everton 0
This match was a perfect response to the late heart-ache at Stamford Bridge. Rooney was against his former club, and enjoyed it as always. Darren Fletcher scored one of the goals of the season, I’m sure, with a spectacular half volley on the edge of the box to put it into the top corner of Howards net. Carrick put in a nice goal from Giggs’ pin-point pass, and Valencia’s deflected shot ensured the Ecuadorian continued his goal scoring.
Everton were poor, and United took full advantage. I can’t help but feel sorry for Moyes with his lackluster side, as they were so much better last term. The injuries to his squad don’t help, considering he is not allocated the type of funds a manager requires to build depth in a day-in-day-out struggle that is the Premier League. Moyes is a great manager, and I’m sure he’ll be up and out of the mid-table by the end of the season.
United 0 - Besiktas 1
The Turkish champions were pitted against a youthful United line-up in the mid-week Champions League match-up. It was not a good showing overall from the lads, as they seemed nervous in the final third. There were some bright points to take out of the loss though, with Obertan playing exceptionally well. He has some great step-overs and quick feet that will serve him well as his intelligence and vision grows among the talent that he trains with everyday.
Danny Welbeck and Fredrico Macheda started, with the former playing better than the latter. I have my faith that Macheda has the makings of a great player, but he hasn’t found the form of “that night” at Old Trafford against Villa. Welbeck on the other hand played very well, dropping in from the left, penetrating runs and good vision for an 18 year old. I had hoped Michael Owen would come on for some late heroics, but it seems he is not truly a game-changer and will be hit-or-miss when only used for 15 minutes.
Portsmouth 1 - United 4
Wayne Rooney bagged a hat-trick, albeit two were from penalties, but he took them very well. I think Lampard may have competition in this department come SA2010. Giggs scored his 100th Premier League goal a day before his 36th birthday, a typical screenplay finish. A great goal too, I might add, bending it around the wall and into the left corner. Giggs thanked Rooney as he appeared to give him the “he’s not guarding his post” whisper as he walked away from the spot-kick.
Interestingly, Ben Foster didn’t make the line-up with Kuszczak taking his spot in goal. It seemed an inspired choice as Tomasz made some excellent saved, including one at point blank that he pushed onto the cross-bar which was a moment of greatness. It seems Tomasz is putting some serious pressure on Ben for the number 2 spot. United started bright, faded, then came back with vengeance. How many times will I write that this season? Industry we have; creativity… we need more.
United 2 - Tottenham 0
United played more youngsters in the Carling Cup Quarter-final class with last years finalists Tottenham Hotspurs and they performed quite well. Ferguson alluded in his post-match notes to the performances of Anderson and Gibson as stand-out. Gibson scored two nicely struck out of the box goals, which shows he could be a nice goal-scoring replacement for the talented albeit aging Paul Scholes.
Anderson was the industrial player of the night, running around tirelessly, making tackles, breaking up play, and providing visional passing. For a Brazilian he sure has adopted the typical United midfielder approach to play, so its good to see our training grounds are molding players rather than changing and reshaping. This allows us to combine the natural talents of foreigners with the graft that makes the Premier League so special.
I also wanted to point out the role of Vidic in this game. What a performance! The way he took the ball from Bentley like he wasn’t there was great, and he made numerous blocks including one on Keane that was superb. It looks like this is the kind of game where he can build his confidence back, and thanks to the Manager for understanding that. I want him back to his old-self, so if Ferdinand does need that operation that we can have Brown and Evans as his rotating partnership.
Next Week
So we have the unfortunate to be there, but still there, West Ham relegation fighters. There is always a problem that teams try to “up the ante” against United, and no more so will it be true with a team who is by all accounts playing below its ability. However, with Carlon Cole possibly requiring surgery on a ligament injury, I’m not sure who their attacking threat will come from. I presume we take this game 2-0, however it may be more. They leak goals like its going out of style.
Then we will be off to Germany to finish up the group stage of the Champions League against Wolfsburg. I will expect to see a close to full strength side with a sprinkling of the same talent we saw against Tottenham/Besiktas. Expect Gibson to get a start, as well as Obertan. I am almost certain to expect Berbatov up front, and possibly Rooney. Rooney has been rested all too much for both his and my liking, and it’s time he got a chance to stamp his authority on Europe again.
In the Transfer News (Yes, January is approaching)
I keep hearing the rumblings of these things: United are in the hunt for a goalkeeper, namely CSKA Moscow Igor Akinfeev (23), and Schalke 04’s Manuel Neuer (23); United are chasing Valencia’s duo David Villa (27) and David Silva (23); and finally a slew of possible defensive targets amid Rio Ferdinand’s problems.
What do I believe? All of them. Yet United have been chasing top talent for years, so just because an agent or scout is “interested” or “monitoring” a star player means very little. Everyone knows that the best players have change of hearts, perhaps none so recent as David Villa’s recent “I would play for United” omission after going on and on about wanting to stay in Spain and play for Barcelona or Real Madrid. When a club can’t come for you, there are always options.
Purposively David Villa will cost 75M pounds, a ridiculous figure that United will not pay in a million years. He is not worth that much money at 27 (turning 28 tomorrow), and United will not pay over the odds for aging players that are already in their peak. It is rumored a bid of 35M pounds will be tried to test the waters of a financially crippled club. We’ll see, but in my eyes, he is the best of the rumors I have heard of so far.
The keepers would be nice, but why go spend over the odds (Akinfeev at 23 is still fetching a 20M pound plus price tag) when we have Foster, Kuszczak and Amos vying for spots, and keepers such as Robert Green and Joe Hart available if the bid is right. Akinfeev is probably my favorite of the names mentioned due to his age, and his ability, even in the tough Old Trafford stadium.
On the defensive side of things, I don’t particularly think we need another centre-back. Let’s say Ferdinand gets injured, Brown and Evans are more than able to come in and play well. Evans is on his way back from injury, and Brown and Vidic have struck up quite a workable relationship. Micah Richards is a name that has been recently brought up, and I think at 21 he is a great prospect for the future. I have issues with his attitude and intelligence but playing with the United boys will more than likely help him with that. We have so much experience in our training staff, and the defenders in the squad. Gary and Wayne would give him a razzing though, that is for sure.
This was a hard game to take, we didn’t play very well and the same old occurred. Vidic was sent–off for a tussle with a Liverpool player, Torres scored by burning our centre–back, and the points were there for the taking. Rooney was rushed back much to fast for my liking, and it was evident in his link–up play that usually shows his talents breadth.
The game felt rushed, and there was little penetration from United. Torres took his goal well, after a misjudgment by Ferdinand. The Spaniards pace took him the rest of the way, and the goal was inevitable once he was clear. Ngog’s goal in the dying minutes was more evidence of United pushing for an equalizer rather than Liverpool dominance. Valencia hit the bar late on, but that was only a slice of a late rally that never seemed full force.
Barnsley 0 – United 2A League Cup game spat right between two Premiership fixtures always meant there would be players rested. As usual the League Cup is used as a proving ground and a place to restore lost form for the United players. For that reason it was Owen and Macheda up–front, and Obertan made his first start. The game wasn’t the liveliest, but Barnsley gave a good showing against us.
The line–up was somewhat strange, with Fabio joining Anderson as holding midfielders, and Obertan and Welbeck as wide–men. Rafael returned to the team after his injury, and played well, but his brother Fabio took his new role very well, and made some great runs. Obertan’s debut was a good one, he showed bags of pace and trickery that will be much needed in the months ahead.
The best part of the match was the Owen goal, where he took on three of the Barnsley defense; put the ball through ones leg, before curling it in the bottom right corner. Much like the Owen of yester–year.
United 2 – Blackburn 0
I got this score right on I Know The Score; as Blackburn was unlikely to get a thrashing with Sam, but at the same time would be unlikely to score themselves. Berbatov scored a beautiful goal, and not for the first time this season, when he lifted Evra’s dismal shot up in the air and turned to volley it to the bottom corner. A shot that would not be saved, and gave Berbatov the edge to slide mouthing “Come on”.
Rooney scored a tipped finish near the end to halt any concerns about a nervy finish. It wasn’t a vintage display on a subdued night, but it gave us the three points we needed and deserved.
United 3 – CSKA Moscow 3Not the score line anyone was expecting or suggesting, but the score that we received nevertheless. There first goal was very nice, and although Evans pushed Dzagoev to the byline, he snuck a shot under the arms of Van Der Saar. The Dutchman could have done better, but the finish was exquisite. Owen leveled later with a scrappy toe poke, but Krasic (someone rumored to be on the United radar) scored after a lovely one–two with Dzagoev.
A goal down is bad enough but when Schennikov knocked a ball into the bottom corner, United were badly risking losing their unbeaten run at home in the Champions League. Signal Rooney, and then the Reds committed one of the best comebacks of the year. In a 15 minute spell, Akinfeev produced an outstanding display to stop multiple efforts from Rooney, the bar stopped Macheda, and a great header from Owen.
Scholes was on hand to knock in a Gary Neville header (the veterans there again), and Valencia got lucky with a deflected shot to tie the match. A nervous night at The Theatre Of Dreams, but a result.
Chelsea 1 – United 0
The Chelsea game was a great demonstration of how tight it is at the top of the table. Both teams fought hard, with Untied showing the greater determination and attitude. The teams appeared evenly matched despite United missing some key names in regards to Ferdinand, Vidic, and Berbatov. The midfield trio of Anderson, Carrick, and Fletcher were doing well to contain Deco, Lampard, Ballack, and Essien.
More inspiringly, Evans and Brown were containing the most in–form strike partnership in the Premier League of Drogba and Anelka. Drogba looked a shadow of his former self that has seen him net 9 goals in 9 league matches. And it was unfortunate that he received a scraped chest, but his ridiculous convulsions showed why he has such a love–hate relationship with fans.
The goal that never was, came from John Terry after a clean tackle from Fletcher on Cole. Cole’s theatrics helped them receive the free–kick, and Rooney’s mouthed “12 men” to the camera may yet see him get into trouble with the FA. Yet it had to be said the non–free kick; the pull of Brown by Drogba, and his apparent off–side interference with play; all compound to a great question mark which was asked by Sir Alex after the match.
I hate to see a big match decided by poor referring, but that is what happened on Sunday. Chelsea will feel lucky to have walked away with all three points, and United have every reason to feel aggravated about key decisions. If Alan Hansen, a Liverpool player, can agree, then it must be true.
News of the World – Or at Least of some deluded fools imaginationI read in the BBC Rumor section that Rooney will be offered, or should I say United and the Glazers, an audacious bid of 85M pounds ($150M) for the signature of Rooney from Barcelona. Purposively, the Glazers have plundered the $800M of debt into United and now they are desperate to receive funds.
Strange for a few reasons:
If he does go for $150M, it would make the fan base go ballistic. Not to mention Ferguson would never sell, in a million years, especially to the team who beat him in the Champions League final just last year. Rooney is pivotal to the team; and does not want to go; that is nothing like Ronaldo last year. Ronaldo was pivotal, but he wanted to leave; that is something that was hard for Ferguson to argue with.
League Cup: United 1 - Wolves 0
The League Cup game was not spectacular. It was somewhat of a dog fight, with Fabio being sent off. I felt sorry for the electrifyingly quick Brazilian, as he slipped when making a challenge and then hauled down the on-rushing Kightly. Owen and Welbeck combined to great effect to give the only goal of the game, with a neat one-two. King (a Norwegian) came on for his debut for United, and played quite well throwing a stinging shot at the Wolves keeper. The League Cup is used as a proving ground, with many youngsters getting their first taste of football (the commentator eluding to well over 50 players getting their debut in the competition).
Premier League: Stoke 0 - United 2
Ryan Giggs proved again why he is so integral to a United presence at the top of the table. The years turn back when he plays, and now the nominated European Player of the Year has come into an Indian Summer of his career. He came of the bench to instrumental, creating the first goal with a neat cross that Berbatov gratefully tapped in. The Bulgarian ran over to Giggs pointing at him, showing the away fans that made the goal. And it was a Giggs cross that O’Shea nodded home to give a concrete 2 - nothing win over Stoke. The Britannia Stadium is not an easy venue, and many teams have come a crock at their gates. United proved that they are title contenders with this vintage victory.
Champions League: United 2 - Wolfsburg 1
The German Champions came out firing, building on a weak defense, but powerful attack. The first half was cagey, with Wolfsburg battering much quicker than United. I was beginning to think it was going to be similar to the bore of Besiktas or even worse, a defeat at home. A goal was disallowed that should of stood for the Devils; created by an enigmatic Berbatov, who put in a lovely display. Wolfsburg took the lead, with a headed finish. The Reds first goal was fortunate, a deflected Ryan Giggs free kick; the second was a great strike from Carrick into the corner from the edge of the box. It was not a great display, but it was the result that was needed to claim the top of the group.
Premier League: United 2 - Sunderland 2
Not a good result, nor a good performance. Darren Bent scored a great goal (Capello watching?) in the early minutes, and the form from United was patchy for the first half. After the break United pressed well, and played much better. Berbatov scored a sweet volley, one that will be on goal of the week for sure, from an O’Shea cross. Yet as soon as United got a good foot-hold Kenwyne Jones scored a goal by out-jumping and out-muscling Ferdinand and Foster. It wasn’t good from either of them, highlighting a shaky Foster and an out-of-form Ferdinand. The Reds kept the pressure on, and Richardson was sent off in the 85th minute. With that urgency, Anton Ferdinand turned in a deflected Evra shot. The result was more than just, with United looking out of sorts in this fixture. How about Sunderland? Hoping over Liverpool. My friend from the North couldn’t be happier.
Premier League: United 2 - Bolton 1
United looked tremendous for the first half and much of the second, and were unlucky to not have scored many goals. An early own-goal from a bundled Owen header was the only thing United had to show for the advantage, and a goal from Matthew Taylor for Bolton with 15 minutes to go made for a nervy finish. Valencia scored his first goal for United in the first half as well, with a nice interplay with Gary Neville. Neville has looked quite good since coming back from his most recent bought of injuries. The finish was climatic and United likely to concede from Megson’s rejuvenated side. It was not to be, and although United clinched the top of the table, it was not in the form that we would have liked.
Champions League: CSKA Moscow 0 - United 1
In a cat-and-mouse game, Untied were defiantly the better of two sides on the artificial pitch of Moscow. Nani and Valencia played moderately well, but everything went through them. If either one of them were to have a break-through performance it would of ended with United winning by a embarrassing margin. However, the final balls were not being produced, and Berbatov cut a lonely figure in the middle of a unique line-up. Fabio and Scholes had the holding midfield role, with Anderson pushed up as an attacking midfielder. I thought it was strange: Fabio is a left-back, and Anderson is a holding midfielder. I understand they’re both Brazilian, but to see them as that malleable begs questioning. To be fair, Fabio took his role very well, and had a great performance. In having Anderson, someone who has only scored one goal in open play, didn’t make much sense. This win, with a probably pairing of a home field victory, will have United qualify without getting out of second gear.
Liverpool vs. United
The big game is this weekend on Sunday, and it perhaps has never been such a decider for the fate of Liverpool. They are sitting precariously on the abyss of mid-table, with 7 points between United at the top. A victory for Untied will almost certainly demolish any hopes of Liverpool being crowned Champions; a victory for Liverpool will reduce the gap, and give under-fire boss Rafa a calm after the storm.
Liverpool are on the worst run for twenty years, however Dalglish, the manager who was in charge during their last poor run, believes Rafa has the backing of all the top brass of Anfield. That may be because to get rid of Rafa would cost the cash-strapped owners upwards of $40M CAD, or because Rafa is - at heart - a top quality manager. The problem I have with Rafa is he complains about spending, and not having money, but has invested the third most in the league over the past few years. With the buying and selling done by Arsenal and Manchester United, they have barely net spent over $10M.
Maybe Rafa needs to read a book by Mark Hughes who seems to be able to bring in great talent and have them gel instantly. One thing I’ve noticed is he tends to pick players spurned by either the management or fans of the prior club. Fire in the belly makes players want to prove the doubters wrong, however that can only last so long. Rafa perhaps should look to some home-grown fighters such as young Cattermole to give his club much needed steel.
Will Torres or Gerrard be fit? The press and Liverpool say no, I wouldn’t’ be surprised if they are. Will Rooney or Giggs make it? The press and Untied say no, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is also a bunch of mind-game balloon-ey. Sorry for the pun, Reina.
My prediction? 3-1 to United. It’s revenge on the cards for the 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford last season. We have the form, they are the injured animal. However, let’s not forget that injured animals tend to bite back. I just hope Ferdinand has meditated, and perhaps got of the keys of that new #5 magazine long enough to concentrate on football.“…the best derby of all time…”
Sir Alex Ferguson
So we had the Manchester Derby, and what a game it was. It had goals, a great attitude, speed and both teams wanted to win. There was no holding back, and the first few minutes saw Rooney get a splendid goal by Evra’s quick pass and his quick feet. As with early goals there is always the element of fear, and when Foster tried to pull an Edwin, Tevez stole the ball and setup Barry for a cool finish.
That was to be the script of the game, United scoring to take the lead, and then City scoring to bring it level. Fletcher scored a header at the near post, with perfect precision, only to have Bellamy scored a wonderful strike a moment later. Fletcher scored a second (the first time for him) by way of the head once more, only to have Ferdinand make a horrible decision, to which Bellamy put him to the sword.
Yet who could have thought at 95 minutes Michael Owen would stow in from a wonderful pass from Ryan Giggs and make it 4-3. It was a wonderful finish to a pulsating game that had me screaming to my hearts content. Mark Hughes may feel aggravated about the time keeping, but I have taken some pictures that I will hopefully post tomorrow or later this week that show that the officials did very well in keeping the time correct.
There were 4 minutes added on, and Fergusons shrewd tactics put on Carrick which bought 30 seconds. Bellamy also bought 30 seconds onto the clock after his swift goal, and celebration. That makes 5 minutes to add on to the clock; BUT; you may say, how did Owen then score in the 95th minute? You can thank the now blue Tevez for his late tackle on Rio Ferdinand. That got us a free kick exactly at 94:45, which means the clock stops on the referees watch.
The ball was not kicked until 95:15, and exactly 12 seconds later at 95:28 Owen had the ball in the back of the net. As I said, I’ll post pictures showing each moment and the clocks time, just for all the people who don’t believe me, or that the referees succumbed to some “pressure”. The United fans were not baying for extra time, nor did I see Ferguson tapping his watch. His arms were in the air with the indignation that Bellamy had stolen the three points from us.
Hughes has come out and said that they didn’t deserve to loose, but I completely disagree. There were spells where City did well, especially after Foster’s mistake where United seemed to retreat a little. Yet from the moment the second-half whistle commenced, United were by far the dominant force. If it wasn’t for Given we would have been 6 or 7 goals up. In fact, two of City’s goals were complete cock-ups by our defense (Foster for the first, and Rio for the second).
Blimey Rio, one back pass for England, and now a looping pass to the opposition. I think we all need to stop rushing poor Ferdinand back to fitness and give him a chance to train and perhaps even a game or two in the reserves. Evans is more than willing to fill the shoes, and we need to start sculpting his replacement. That being said we also need to get another one in so we have three world class center backs, as I’d say we have about 1.75. Vidic still needs to improve some more, and Evans is only 21.
That brings me to the problem with the best derby of all time, is in reality we should have won 5-0. Shae Given deserves credit for only letting in 4, but a little better direction of heading from Berbatov and we would have had more. I guess you can give the goal to Bellamy as that was wonderful strike (the second), but we also didn’t close him down. Foster’s mistake was terrible, and Edwin would have put it in Row Z. Rio lost his mind for a minute, and should have put it in touch or spread the play wide to Vidic.
Ah well. All’s well that ends well. It’s great to see Owen so excited; you can tell he knew what this goal meant to the club, and what it meant to beat City. The noisy neighbor will be back in the City licking its wounds, and I’m all the happier for it. Ferguson praised Owen by the bucketful saying “His positional play, first touch and finish were absolutely superb. World class” let’s just see what Capello thinks about it, hey Owen?We took home all three points from White Heart Lane on Saturday, in a very open game. Spurs were undefeated before this match which made the victory that much sweeter. It was fun to watch and gave all the best the Premier League had to offer: early goals, skillful play, controversy, and hard fought victory. The game got off to a raucous start when Vidic struggled with RoboStick on the touch line, the big man making Vidic head the ball into the center of the box where all Rio could do is watch Defoe acrobatically bicycle kick in an early lead.
After that Crouch had a few openers which he blazed over, but Manchester United began a swift passing rhythm that was very entertaining for the Reds. They moved the ball around very well, picking the right pass. Anderson and Scholes looked very comfortable in the center of the park, and I would say Scholes had his best appearance in sometime for the Devils. The equalizer came in the form of a Ryan Giggs free-kick in the top right-corner. My brother wanted Rooney to take it, but I said that Giggs has the left boot, and sure enough it worked out well: a great free-kick from the Welsh magician.
The next goal came just before halftime, from one of the more unlikely players. Anderson grabbed his first goal in open-play and it was taken very well, a low ball driven into the right hand corner. Crouch came close hitting the bar, but it wasn’t until Paul Scholes was sent off for innocuous challenge for his second yellow of the game. It didn’t seem to rial United too much, and Rooney scored an excellent personal finish turning defenders inside out before putting it through the legs of Cudicini.
Turkish DelightA long and torrid night at Besiktas ended with United gaining an important away victory in a tough location and atmosphere. It was not a great game, and was one of the most boring I have watched in a long time. 
Rooney was given the lone striker role, even though the team sheet made it appear that Valencia was part of a 4-4-2. Scholes nabbed a late goal after some great work from Nani inside the box.
Perhaps the most intriguing news or even of the night was Rooney’s tantrum at the sidelines that Ferguson was quick to dismiss. Rooney never wants to come off the pitch, but he need not show it. That is something he will need to work on, and Capello will not like that kind of attitude. The hunger is always exceptional but it needs to be hinged on character and respect. I presume Rooney is wanting to carve his name in to the top scorers list of all competitions this season, and he knows he can’t do that from the bench.
The Manchester DerbySo the derby will be here in only 4 days, and this year I look forward to it like no other. Last year the games I mulled over the most were the Liverpool and Chelsea matches, which although the home victory over Chelsea was nice, were largely disappointing. Here’s hope that this match has everything: United winning in style, and City losing in anguish. That is everything, I don’t care for open games or anything else particularly. That can be later after we have proven to be better than the Sky Blue new boys.
Tevez may or may not be playing, but Evra is ready for the challenge. I would like to seem him play, and be nullified by our defense, but who knows whether either will come true. Adebayor will be lucky to play against us, as I saw the game against Arsenal and his stomp was most definitely on purpose and he deserved to see red. The victory dance is fine; I don’t really care about that, as it is kind of funny. But tell that too the poor steward who got a missile in the head.
RYANALEWIS #1 Canadian Manchester United BlogIn other self-indulgent news, RYANALEWIS made it and continues to hold the #1 spot for “Manchester United Blog” in Canada. Nice one.
Not something that we’ll be singing from the rafters come our visit to the Emirates next year. The good news for us is that Arsenal play Manchester City next, and judging on their performance they will wipe any smug grins on those sky-blues. For us, it’s off to London to play an in-form Spurs at White Hart Lane. That will be interesting, in fact, as I had judged when I saw the fixture list I was expecting us to have a nice run of games ot hit top form over this period.
The top form has only come for a handful of players, mainly Rooney. He looks vicious as ever, creating and scoring chances game by game. The wingers are looking good, but I don’t think we are ready for any experimental 4-3-3 formations, and should keep with placing a striker to partner Rooney up front. Rooney was not provided enough chances, and that made us much less creative and dangerous.
Giggs and Carrick did not have good games. Sure, Giggs gave the pass that created the penalty, but it was Rooney’s run that opened up the ability for him to thread the eye of the needle. Giggs missed many five foot passes, and made the wrong decision too many times in that match and it drove me mad. He is class, and whether it is a lack of match fitness or a more foreboding sign I do not know. Scholes was looking dangerous in the eye of defense which is why he did not get a start against a free-flowing Arsenal.
Carrick looks short on confidence, more than likely due to the missed penalty. If the rumors are true about Anderson, which Ferguson has denied, he may be on the bench for sometime. Fletcher on the other hand, after a rough start, played well. Despite what Wenger will call kicking his players, he tackled and got stuck in which broke up passing play in the center. It is exactly what a combative midfielder should do, and Wenger has had players such as Viera in the past do the exact same thing. Roy Keane anyone?
I’d have to say I’m beginning to see what the press is on about in regards to our engine room. We have the choice between players lacking confidence, new players, or old players who don’t have the legs. Who is our defensive lynch pin? Who is our energy man? Who is the creative genius? Perhaps for the last one it is Giggs, but he doesn’t have the pace to unlock defenses only the pass. It’s worrying that no-one was bought to fill this role, but perhaps good news for Owen Hargreaves at the same time.
I hope it’s not blind faith that the Canadian born England International is ready to return and will come back to full fitness. Perhaps they know more than I do, but it has been almost a year now since his last competitive match, so even with no injuries that match sharpness will take months. Hargreaves is exactly what we are missing, his drive and energy, he is like Fletcher only with better tackling and passing. He can also score a free-kick or two, especially with Ronaldo now at Madrid.
In the end we got the three points, and now we must try to unseat an in-form Spurs from their winning streak. Something I think we can do, but only if Ferguson picks the right central midfield partnership. Now that Spurs have lost Modric, it should be interesting, but who knows how that will relate to our game. Last season we had that awesome victory at Trafford, this one is away so who knows. Perhaps we will see some new faces from the Arsenal line-up, and I really hope Berbatov starts.
News on Owen Hargreaves and United's Champions League Squad List 2009/10
Just wanted to post some recent news (today) that Owen will be back at the club for training on September 23rd. That isn't news, but the real news is that he has been included in United's Champions League squad that was registered this morning. Great news.
Here is the squad, with our first game away against Beskitas on the 15th of September:
1.Van der Sar, 2.Neville, 3.Evra, 4.Hargreaves, 5.Ferdinand, 6.Brown, 7.Owen, 9.Berbatov, 10.Rooney, 11.Giggs, 12.Foster, 13.Park, 15.Vidic, 16.Carrick, 17.Nani, 18.Scholes, 20.Fabio, 21.Rafael, 22.O'Shea, 24.Fletcher, 25.Valencia, 26.Obertan, 27.Macheda, 28.Gibson, 29.Kuszczak.
Additional players registered*: 8.Anderson, 19.Welbeck, 23.J.Evans, 31.C.Evans, 33.Hewson, 36.Gray, 37.Cathcart, 38.Zieler, 39.Chester, 40.Amos.
*UEFA rules permit any player born on or after 1 January 1988 who has been eligible to play for the club for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday to be registered outside of the 25-man squad limit.
It was incredibly important for the lads to turn the tide, and they did so emphatically at the DW Stadium. The first half had some to-and-fro, with both sides having some opportunities with United shaving it. Rooney especially had some great opportunities that were parried by Kirkland. Titus Bramble made some excellent stops, looking much better than he has in the past. One of the chances that he plucked from Berbatov looked especially nice.
Five goals were scored, two from Rooney who finally surpassed the 100 mark which seemed to be leering for a while now. He joins that ranks of an elite few at United on the list of all time top 20 goal scorers. Expect more to come. Berbatov showed us the silky skills with his goal that involved a double lob over goalie and defender. Owen found the net with a neat finish which is his first goal in a competitive match for United. And finally, Nani showed us there is life still in the free kick department by curling a shot into the left corner.
We cannot mask the problems at Turf Moor; there are some evident issues with our ability to take chances. This is not a new issue, and has nothing to do with the departure of Ronaldo. It was there when Ronaldo was around last season; hence the amount of 1-0 wins. Also, many of those 1-0 win goals were not scored by the Portuguese winger. On the evidence of the Burnley game to the Wigan game it is obvious of a few things, one is that we are still working out the kinks of our new look formation and tactics, and two is that we do have another gear that we can reach.
My feelings are of optimism, not of doom. I don’t see anything that we should be too worried about; expect perhaps the possibility of Vidic getting a 3-match suspension for slapping Rodallega. When you consider Ferdinand is out, Evans is injured, Neville is fresh from injury as with Wes Brown, Rafeal and others, it isn’t surprising our defense has the ability to look out-of-sorts so to speak. Most of these players will be back, and this was Vidic’s first game in a long time.
And in other news, Liverpool lost again, now matching the amount of games they lost after 38 matches last season. Too bad. Chelsea look to be the true title contenders, and Spurs has got off to a flying start. Too early to tell, but is shaping up for an interesting season yet again. Arsenal on Sunday will be a great match to test both teams, and Arsenal seems to be flying albeit against clubs that are in turmoil, or bottom-table feeders.
Until next week.That side note now thoroughly a note, I move on to the game itself. It was quite a good show, with United dominating possession (62%) and keeping the opponents down to only a 2 shots on target. Despite this, you wouldn’t say Birmingham were without opportunity to score with their record new signing Benitez coming close with only a terrific save from Ben Foster to deny him. Ben looked better yesterday, but I’ll have to say he needs to work on back passes as he just isn’t looking comfortable at all. Perhaps that is because we’re used to seeing VDS who is quite easily the best goalkeeper with his feet.
Owen should have scored to make it 2-0 but he knocked the ball straight at Hart. I have faith that Owen will get better, and start taking his chances as they are currently coming at him thick. Berbatov was obviously fouled and should have got a penalty, but whose counting. Two goal line saves by Evra (from Queudrue’s header) and Carseley (from Berbatov’s header), and from what I saw of the other matches a common theme of opening day. Fletcher was also guilty of missing a sitter and side footed a chance over the bar in the first-half.
All in all it was a victory against a team that looks well fitted for the relegation dog-fight they will surely find themselves in. I’d say they have more about them than at least 3 teams, which is all that really matters. Next match is against Burnley at Turf Moor (yes that link is from 1902), where I expect to see Foster, Fabio, O’Shea, Brown, Evra, Tosic, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Berbatov and Rooney. Let’s see how close I get to the actual line-up, shall we? Burnley played some good football in the FA Cup last year, so you never know what can happen. Still, with the ratio of 3x on Barclay’s I put United down as clear favorites with a 2-0 win.
Worryingly, we have lost Ferdinand to another flare up of the sciatic injury that is more than likely going to claim his career in a few more seasons. Add that to Vidic, Rafael, Neville, and now Evans, it’s not looking to great for our defensive attributes. Perhaps that is why United have been linked to signing a new defender, specifically Shawcross the old United player that now performs for Stoke. He scored a looping header on the weekend, so that is always nice to see. United also have a buy-back clause so Stoke may be selling up if Fergie deems it worthwhile.
In other news, but still United news, Rooney relished his new role with Mike Phelan reminding him “…he needs to remember when we create chances, he scores goals,” well said Mike. Just like how if we score more than they do, we win? Rooney knows we need to up the tempo for our future outings against the Top 6 teams: “We know we need to improve on that performance because we’re a lot better than we showed against Birmingham.” And finally, Ferguson may have finally admitted City are a threat in saying “It’s true that the competition will be even fiercer this season, with City’s owners raising the bar in the transfer market” but then coming back in usually good-form with: “We’re all looking over our shoulders, though as far as Manchester United are concerned at any rate, it’s not in fear.”
There are two things that come with United, victories and barbs from the boss. Here’s to the start of another great Premier League season.
The preseason went quite well, we only lost one game and that was in penalties to Bayern Munich. What can you expect against a German team? They score penalties. Disparagingly we also lost the same way to Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday, which was a great match despite a few skirmishes. I wouldn’t expect United and Chelsea to go about caressing each other, as most would believe they will be the two at the top this season.
With new found stability at the bridge with Ancelotti coming in at a good time, allowed to make transfer dealings as necessary, and to view how the team works together, they have a good chance of pushing United this season. I believe Athletico Madrid showed the weaknesses of Liverpool in their friendly on Saturday, a game a watched for two reasons. Firstly, to get a gauge on how #2 of last season is preparing for this season and secondly for Sergio Aguero the presumed target of Manchester United. Didn’t notice any golden hands on him, either.
All in all, looking at both competitors, Chelsea will more than likely be the one up our preverbal backside at least in the later end of the season. Anelka seems to think United is frail without the likes of Ronaldo, but it seemed that our goal-scoring had no issues. To be honest, they out-played us physically in the second half, but we out-played them in all areas of the park for the first 30 minutes. This is something that Ancelotti himself will attest to.
I am happy with how it went: Owen scored goals, Rooney setup and scored goals, Berbatov setup a slew of goals, and scored; Gibson, Nani, Tosic, and Cleverly all look like promising 20 something talent; Anderson scored a goal, despite it still being a set-play; Fabio showed us that it’s not just his brother who can play; DeLeat made a great performance; and finally we get a chance to see Foster/Kuszczak play. Yes, even Nani played very well this preseason. Bad news that he dislocated his shoulder, though.
Was it just me, or did Foster look particularly like a fish out of water against Chelsea. I’m not sure if its nerves, or that he put two left boots on, but his clearances were a shambles. I’d say he should have done better with the second goal, as well. Especially that he is known as one of the best shot-stoppers, I was overly disappointed. Capello will not be pleased with the performance of the touted next #1 of England. I still have faith, but blimey Ben, get your act together!
And with that, the new season starts. I’ve signed up for I Know the Score and Fantasy Football over at Barclay’s for this season. I enjoyed it last season, and would like to better both sides. International break will be interesting as we have a friendly against Netherlands, but I’ll talk about that elsewhere.
UNITED to BREAK the RECORDS again this season. 19 DOMESTIC TITLES.
You read it here first.
He played against United in Everton's U9 and they hammered United, he scored 6 goals. One was special, he scored a bicycle kick, which when they considered the technique from an 8 year old was fantastic. He burst into the Premier League scene scoring a wonder-goal against Arsenal for Everton at 16 years old, when the commentator famously said “Remember the name”. He scored for England when he was 17, breaking the record for scoring age. His first Champions League game for United was a hat-trick against Fenerbahce, his first game since breaking his foot in a sensational cameo in Euro 2004. In the 2004/2005 season he was PFA Young Player of the Year as well as the following year. As years have gone by he has become integral to both United and England. He is Wayne Rooney.
In September 2004, ManUtd.com wrote “Having seen Rooney at close-quarters in the past four weeks, the United manager has been surprised by the depth of his attributes, whilst growing an even greater appreciation for his direct, aggressive style of play.” Not even the mind of Sir Alex would have conceived that level of direct, aggressive play would actually grow and become the defining label to apply to the Englishman. He has defined himself on passion and guile, something that he has in pure abundance. Rooney is a special player, one that does not come around very often, and all the better he is English.
Capello has built a team around him in recent games, knowing that if Rooney is allowed to “tick” then the team will be a success. He is a talisman, and with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, and perhaps dare I say Owen, he has the ability to drive us back into the World Cup group stage. At United he has recently be touted as the future captain, something Ferguson must be toying with in his mind and perhaps a final gesture when he bows out of his own illustrious career. We can only presume that Rooney will also captain England in the next few years, but one thing is for certain that the powers that be will want him to curb his enthusiasm at least in the eyes of the referee.
If you are English, you know who Wayne is, and you know just how talented he is. Perhaps playing for United he gets a lot of flack from the general public outside of the faithful, but everyone knows of his raw talent. In the years between his international debut in 2004, to his sending off in 2006, and England’s inability to qualify in 2008 he has grown immensely. Capello pays no tributes to old-hero’s as it can be seen by United’s recent signings radar-less blip. He knows the potential, the ability, and the mindset that Rooney possesses to win something that Capello himself contains.
Yet the thing that has really made me write this article recently is that the comments about Rooney have really hit a new high in the past year. He has had a good season, but has also been played out of position numerous times. It is clear by his recent goal scoring prowess in the Three Lions that he plays best in the center of the box, feeding and receiving. If it is true that Sir Alex Ferguson is going to give him that position for a whole season, and baring no injuries, he may just be in tip-top form and condition by World Cup 2010. An on-form, un-injured Rooney is something that the International competitive stage has yet to witness, barring recent events in qualifying.
In Asia they roared when he ran by them on the touch-line, in a warm-up. The crowds went potty when he ran onto the pitch. They cheered his every touch of the ball for the first few minutes. And this was thousands of miles from England, in areas that are just growing into football on the national stage. Closer to home Ronaldo touts Rooney as the only man who can challenge his abilities as World Number 1. Now, you may say that he is just talking his mouth, and of course Ronaldo does do that. However, Ronaldo never claims that someone is as good, or better than him, unless he is talking of Rooney. The mutual respect is obvious, and he will not sing a different tune when he is at Madrid it is a certainty.
Even if I look at the most recent comments to come out of the papers, it’s from Unai Emery the Valencia boss. He has swung an early slap to Sir Alex and United by saying that Europe no longer fears United after losing Tevez and Ronaldo. Hardly news in the breaking, but his next comment is what I choose to focus on: “Of course, they are still a strong team and we are respectful towards the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.” Of course! He is comparing a man who has won 11 Premier League titles, and is one of the most successful players in the world to young Wayne Rooney. Giggs has his name mentioned as he is an icon, a legend. Wayne gets his name mentioned out of respect, admiration, and knowledge that he is something special.
I just couldn’t believe how the crowds react to Wayne recently. I have watched many pre-seasons, tours, etc and no United player has received this admiration baring perhaps Giggs. He came to the touchline at the Munich game to rapturous applause… by Bayern Munich fans! It is sensational, and goes to show just how great our young White Pele has become. I believe in the next few years Rooney will become the name on many pundits lips around the world. I know what I am about to say is something that hasn’t happened since 2001, when a little Michael Owen tore the international and domestic scene up. I’m going to say it anyway: Wayne Rooney for European Player of the Year. I just don’t know what four digits will come after it.Manchester United has started their preseason with two wins, despite coming close to a draw in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately the Indonesian game was cancelled due to the terrorist attacks in Jakarta, and worryingly one of the attacks was at the hotel United were due to stay in. Despite pleas from the Indonesian government, United did not travel to the city due to security concerns. It is a shame, as judging by the rapturous reception enjoyed by United in Malaysia; it would have been a good venue.
The Malaysian Select XI was a team mainly comprised of the Under 23 Malaysian international side, and they did quite well considering their opposition and relative inexperience. The score line of 3-2 did somewhat flatter the home team, as the first goal was a lob after a miss-queued header by Evra, and the second was a bundled back-pass in true English keeper form by Foster. The best news of the night would have been that Michael Owen saved Foster’s blushes by scoring a poachers goal in the bottom left corner after their keeper flattened Giggs. The other goals were a tap in by Rooney, and a goal by Nani after a slide-rule pass from Rooney.
Their keeper played very well throughout both encounters, and Yahyah was bright in their front-line (who scored their 2 goals). The second match was routine in that United controlled throughout and won 2–0, and the Malaysian team only looked likely to score in the dyeing minutes. Owen was again on target, and had one attempt nick the side of the post, which bears well for the 29-year-old ex-England international. Macheda was also on point, with an easy tap-in after a well placed ball from Fletcher.
Recent News
Ronaldo has touted Owen to do well with the infamous number 7 shirt, letting reporters know that the number isn’t too much pressure.
Ferguson came out and said we were done our signings, then one week later signed young Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf. Erm, did I say no more signings? Ok, one more than lads. And the rumors are that Douglas Costa is too pricey, and United are negotiating them down which has sparked interest by other clubs.
Hargreaves may well be fit by August, which is great news, lets just hope that surgery did what it needed and removes that nagging pain. No, not his wife.
Keane has said that Ronaldo for 80 million pounds is cheap, when he compares to what other clubs are flogging on the market.
Tevez is not endearing himself to the United faithful recently, after trying to tell us that he would not join Liverpool and do “that” to United fans, then crossing over the Manchester divide to the Sky Blues. Hum, do you realize they are our derby, Carlos? Then to say he would yell at Ferguson if he scored… yea, great respect to the gaffer of 25 years at our club. And finally that Ferguson never contacted him, basically calling Fergie a liar after Sir Alex recently saying that he had sent him no less than three communications. Perhaps his babelfish translator was broken. I dunno, good luck to the fellow, as now he can compete with Robhino, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Adebyor and the rest just like he complained about at United.The same old allusions that are mentioned with any play of international merit have been drawn, and Obertan’s unfortunate comparison comes in the form of Thierry Henry. Not small boots to fill by any stretch of even a Gunners imagination; however he does seem to come with promise. His ability to play in multiple forward positions will intrigue Ferguson, as quality utility players such as John O’Shea are hard to come by. Gabriel will not be joining up with the other Reds for their Asia Tour due to a slight injury issue.
He has played at multiple French clubs including Paris-Saint Germain, and Bordeaux. Laurent Blanc had too many strikers on the team to merit many starts in his early career, and was limited to 17 appearances in 2006/07 and 26 in 2007/08. That unfortunately meant his development would not occur at the pace neither he nor Blanc would have liked so he was loaned to Ligue 1 side Lorient for 2008/09. This means that he needs growth and development still playing in the top level, and that is something that Untied will be able to give him with our many competitions.
One quote that has some trouble in my mind is that from Laurent Blanc (an ex-Untied player himself) who revealed he felt that Obertan must “overcome psychological and mental challenges if he is to express his true value…It is an unexpected chance for him to play for one of the best clubs in the world,” Blanc added. “They certainly hope to advance him, which is something Bordeaux and Lorient failed to do.” The words “failed to do” seem ominous, especially considering he went to the famed Clairefontaine Academy. Perhaps he just needed his manager to give him a chance and show that he believed in him, which is something that many players say Ferguson does outright.
Either way, he seems well-chuffed to be in the squad: “I am very happy to join Manchester United,” he said. “This is a big opportunity for me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do.” And it’s always good to get players when they are young (he just turned 20) and able to cultivate them into the Premiership mould. The huge advantage that Ronaldo has been given going into the La Liga is his power and strength on the ball that comes from our physical and demanding league. Obertan looks like he needs to beef up, much like a skinny 17-year-old Ronaldo six years ago.
Good luck to you Obertan, and welcome to the Red Devils.
A lot of people have been calling Valencia “Ronaldo-lite”, however I don’t believe we ever conceived Antonio as being the Ronaldo replacement. Far beyond that, I think Ferguson had his eyes on the young Ecuadorian long before the idea to entertain the bids from Real came into fruition. What is for certain is that Michael Owen is seen as an outlet for goal scoring, and that has been proven during his career even with the injuries.
The problem Michael inherited from his prior team is the lack of goal scoring chances. Now this wasn’t something that only Michael was victim to, it was a common thread for all the strikers on Tyneside. It is terribly hard to find out how many “chances” are in a game, but the best statistic to analyze would be goal ratio for all strikers in the club. If we have a look at a few of the top guns down at the Championship club we can see that this is based on pure fact:
| Newcastle United Years | ||||
| Games Played | Goals Scored | Ratio | ||
| Obefemi Martins | 88 | 35 | 0.398 | |
| Mark Viduka | 40 | 7 | 0.175 | |
| Michael Owen | 76 | 30 | 0.395 | |
| Prior Club Years | ||||
| Games Played | Goals Scored | Ratio | Club | |
| Obefemi Martins | 87 | 49 | 0.563 | Internationale |
| Mark Viduka | 101 | 42 | 0.416 | Middlesbrough |
| Michael Owen | 135* | 75 | 0.556 | Liverpool* |
*Decided to make it 3 seasons for Livepool, as he had so many years there and didn't compare well with the 3 years for the other two at their respective clubs
All players came to Newcastle and lost a rich vein of form, and Michael was one who still competed and scored goals despite the drain. I don’t want to knock Newcastle United, as they are a good club with great history, but their recent demise came from not working as a team and providing opportunities not from the lack of goal scorers as the stats show. They had two proven goal scorers with over a 0.5 ratio, which is exceptional in any team in the Premier League.
So moving on, I’d like to point out that it is good to have a poacher back in the club. Much like Solskjaer was before him, he has the ability to work as an impact sub and score important goals by poaching in the box. Not only that, but he is also a viable replacement during injuries, cup games, and other competitions when we need to rotate.
Carlos Tevez was a massive component to our attack last year; however he had a problem with being lower on the pecking order and rotating games. This will not be a problem for Owen; in fact it will be a benefit to the longevity of his career. We have Owen in the end of his age peak in regards to the average which is 27 to 31 for a striker. Michael is 29 and has the ability to put them away like no other.
Much like Henrik Larsson did when he graced the field for United a few years back, Michael can come do the same. We begged Larsson to stay after his loan spell, and who knows what will happen with Michael. One thing I know for sure is Ferguson has a way of getting the most out of players, and he sure signs the best. I loved it when he signed Rooney back in 2004/05, Hargreaves in 2007/08, and now Owen in 2009/10. He seems to sign the footballers I admire the most, and for that I am eternally grateful to the best manager of all time.
Indeed there is a lot to get excited about, Owen.What do you hope to achieve here, Michael?
It’s early days but when you think about United, you automatically think about winning trophies, the stadium, the massive fanbase. Until you sign, you don’t let yourself get carried away. I literally signed about ten minutes ago so no doubt I’ll drive home in my car now and I won’t sleep tonight thinking about all the top players I’m going to play alongside, about the manager, the fans, the atmosphere at Old Trafford and everything else. So there’s a lot to think about and a lot to get excited about.
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed his move to Real Madrid by signing his new 6-year deal, and will be paraded in all his glory on Monday. It was two years in the making and I don’t think the United fans, nor could Ronaldo (or even Ferguson) stand another back and forth innuendo filled summer. He made it clear for the second time of his desire to join Madrid, and whether the rumors of the clauses and here-say were true, does not matter anymore.
He came to Old Trafford a young 18-year-old in 2003, raw in talent and looks. He did a lot of trickery, a lot of slick moves, but didn’t have the end-product (much like our recent signing) that United need from their wingers. He cost 12M, which seems like a steal when you look at the massive 80M he gained United in the transfer. In only six short years he has matured to become one of the best footballers in the world, being the first to win European Footballer of the Year while in the Premier League.
He went from tricks and moves with rolls and dives, to scoring more goals than any winger in our illustrious 130 year history. Although he was petulant at times, there was a genuine love from the fans of Manchester United and we appreciated all he gave the club. It appears that with some players you cannot get the genius without some of the ill-behaviors that become their natural flavor. Ronaldo has his moments, so does Rooney, so did Eric, George Best, many of the greats often do. His continental roots probably made his more apparent in the way he tended to fall in the early years.
One thing that I have always found astounding with Ronaldo is he never gets injured, I mean he’ll perhaps have a hamstring strain (although I can’t remember one), and of course surgeries over summer, but never was he not fit for the big games. For all the niggles and harsh tackles he took over the years, it’s amazing he was never injured. It’s a testament to his toughness both mentally and physically, and when you look at the pictures of the scrawny youngster compared to today you can tell he worked very hard to get where he is.
It appears that many believe we will need a slew of players to replace him, however I hope one of our younger signings see’s the light and progresses much the way others youngsters have under the careful eye of the Scot. So as I want to cover our recent signing, and Rooney’s comments, I will keep this short.
A few quotes from the player on his time at United, and his friend Wayne Rooney from News Sports World:
Ronaldo on United supporters: “I really could not have asked for any more from them. There were times when the whole of England was against me but they stood strong in their support and belief for me.”
To England: “My final message to your country? To all those who supported me, thank you. And to all those who hated me, thank you even more.”
On Manchester United: “It would not feel right to play for anybody else in England apart from Manchester United. They have been my home for so long and it would feel like I was cheating if I played for anybody else.”
On the infamous wink:
“Sometimes you do things because emotions are running high but Wayne is my good friend. I can’t regret it because I think the whole experience made me stronger. But looking back it was not the right thing to do and not something I would do any more.”
“I have done a lot of growing up since then. And when I came back from the World Cup I made the journey from a boy to a man. Coming back from the World Cup in 2006 was very hard but ultimately it was a good thing.”
“The boss said the experience could make me stronger if I handled it in the right way. And the outcome of that prediction goes to show why you don’t question Sir Alex Ferguson.”
On Wayne Rooney:
“Without a doubt, he can become the best player in the world. There are lots of players who are a delight to watch but how many make it look as easy as him?”
“We had a great relationship and that is the sort of quality of player you want to be playing with. In training, he can volley a ball from 30 yards away and miss your head by one inch every time.”
“It might not sound a big thing but that is how accurate he is all the time. He will be one of the world’s best for many years. The natural talent is there but he cares as well and will never give up.”
On England at WC 2012:
“When you have players like Rio, Wayne, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, you always have a chance. Are England the favourites? No. Spain are. But there will be six or seven other teams that think they can win the World Cup and England are one of them.”
“So much of England’s success is down to Wayne Rooney though. He is your special player and if he shines in South Africa then you have every chance.”
On Sir Alex Ferguson:
“I have said many times that it is the relationship a son has with a father. He respects me and I respect him and when one of us is talking, the other ones listens. It is not a one-sided relationship. We both hear each other out and that is why we have got on so well.”
“He taught me everything about football and I have never met a man who is so passionate about the game after so many years. He instilled that passion into me and he made me a winner. The most important thing he taught me is that second place is not an option.”
“He also taught me lots of things in order to make me a better person and people might not understand how much time he invest in players off the pitch. But he really does and he cares about each and everyone of us.”
“In an ideal world. I would like him to be my life coach and for me to never leave him but that is not possible and I just have to continue my journey and hold on to what he has taught me.”
And Finally a personal favourite showing him as the innocent lad he once was, on Sir Alex’s trust in him to become great:
“Sir Alex has shown so much confidence in me and for that I owe him everything. When I arrived - even though I did not want it - he insisted I have number seven on my shirt.”
“I was very adamant that I did not want it. Then, he sat me down and told me about the history of the number seven and said ... do you understand what I am trying to say to you? I think you will be worthy of wearing this shirt.”
“When I think of the greats who have worn that United shirt, I understood how much confidence he had in me. And I hope now that I am another Manchester United great who wore the most famous shirt at the club.”
Adios to Ronaldo we leave you with this song:
Viva Ronaldo,Valencia signs for Manchester United
Viva Ronaldo,
Running down the wing,
Hear United sing,
Viva Ronaldo.
Finally we have confirmed the signature of Luis Antonio Valencia, the ex-Wigan winger. It has been quite obvious that Ferguson has had his eye on the Ecuadorian for a while now, and it appeared once Ronaldo was gone it was only natural to pick up a natural winger. Valencia is gifted when it comes to taking on his man and added with pace and power makes him ideal for United. Ferguson always loves a good winger, and this lad has those skills necessary.
It appears that the scoring edge of Valencia is under some scrutiny, and it may take the tender cultivation of Ferguson much like he did for a certain Portuguese winger to get the best out of him. I have faith that like much of our signings he will become promising, and with the Asia tour coming up I hope he gets opportunities to run with the boys. It is important that we get him working with our system before starting the league, for as I eluded that we have a nice first few fixtures, we are notoriously sluggish and need our wingers ready to inject pace.
I enjoyed reading his admiration and personal joy in linking up with good ol’ boys. He was quote as saying “Playing in front of 76,000 fans alongside Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, and Ryan Giggs will be an amazing experience. I can’t wait to get started.” 
Particularly as these are the British contingents of our old faithful. If he looks up to those three, he should be with us for a while, as they are all true reds now and will most definitely be ending their careers with us.
I have seen him play in fixtures for Wigan and also in the matches against United, where he did well to tare up Vidic especially. His final product was lacking in that match, but with the right training at the top level I think he’ll get it. He is also only 23, turning 24 just before the start of the league (August 4th). That makes him 6 months younger than Ronaldo, and also that we will get to cultivate him into his prime years (27-31) much like Madrid will attempt with Ronaldo.
Rooney wants Center Role“For me personally, next season could be the season that transforms me from someone who could be a great player into someone who is a great player,” Rooney told The Times.
Wayne Rooney has been quoted in a few papers, as well as the ManUtd.com site about Ronaldo leaving and how he wants to play next season. He should be back from vacation shortly, and has probably spent a lot of time mulling over the prior season. The fact that will be ever-present in his mind and that was made apparent in his interview is that in the last few games he was played on the wide left. I can’t help but think this was due to knowing that soon enough they would be without Ronaldo, and that they would adopt the 4-3-3 system to accommodate playing Berbatov, Rooney, and Mr. X.
When you look at the early contenders for the Mr. X role with regards to Benzema, it makes sense as he played in that system for Lyon. However now as it appears likely that he will be another signing in the Galacticos II program, I presume we are looking for another to hit that role. Now many may think Rooney isn’t thinking along the same lines, but with his football brain you can bet he is. He wants to convince Sir Alex that he is the one to pin point the centre prong of any such setup, not to be dragged to the left and allowed free roam.
I see the best setup to get the most out of Rooney would be to have him in the center, playing a traditional 4-4-2, with Berbatov playing slightly off so he can provide link-up play with the central midfielders, wingers, and Rooney. Berbatov had the second most assists in his debut season, and now that he understands the Old Trafford design I expect a lift in goals and assists. For this reason, we need to develop Berbatov to fill the "Steven Gerrard" type role that is missing for us.
Now this works well if you have excellent wide players who can cut in and stir it up when the central striker is over marked, as we know the name of Valencia will help us in that vein. Presuming we will not be signing another winger, which is likely, I wonder who can fill the other side. Nani and Park are the obvious choices, however it’s not as if they currently strike fear into the hearts of anyone. Nani is still too raw and hasn’t come a long way in the three years he’s been with us, and Park is much better when we are playing the 4-3-3 system playing a more holding role.
Either way, Rooney wants that center role. It has been paying in lush dividends for our national side with him leading the way in European Qualifying and that’s with being subbed in a match where he could have got several more. 10 goals in 7 games is tremendous, anything over a goal a game is superb in the world of strikers. My fear with this is that Sir Alex promised Rooney the same thing last season, as it wore on he decided to adopt a different system. Again, hopefully this was to try out how Rooney would work in the 4-3-3 and I also hope it was deemed as somewhat as a failure.
Poor Rooney plays so well in a multitude of roles that he get’s sacrificed for the versatility that we as fans love. He needs to grow to become a dominant striker in Europe and to do that he needs the support of his manager, and I believe that Ferguson needs to give what the boy wants. In the end Rooney is going to be the captain of United, and the heart and sole of what it means to be in the team. He may not be a manc, but not many Manchester United fans are. I was born in Hemel (near Watford), so far from the north that our accent changes fives times before reaching it.
Here’s to Rooney fulfilling his desire for both club and country, and to Valencia tying in with the front line as well the Portuguese magician did before him. And although Rooney and Ronaldo had a small spat back in 2006, I think it’s fair to say they were the best of friends in our team. They always looked for each other on the pitch, and played exceptionally well with each other. Not surprising considering they virtually grew up with each other at Old Trafford. So for that reason, I decided to put a little collage together of some moments of the two boy wonders:
If you’re feeling particularly nostalgic, feel free to download the 1024x800 version for your desktop here.
NEWS FLASH: In a shock revelation, Manchester United have been linked with former England International Michael Owen. Holy crap!
Here is the fixture list as it stands:
| Manchester United Fixture List 09/10 | |||
| 2009 | 2010 | ||
| August | January | ||
| 15 | Birmingham (H) | 9 | Birmingham (A) |
| 18 | Burnley (A) | 16 | Burnley (H) |
| 22 | Wigan (A) | 26 | Hull (H) |
| 29 | Arsenal (H) | 30 | Arsenal (A) |
| September | February | ||
| 12 | Tottenham (A) | 6 | Portsmouth (H) |
| 19 | Man City (H) | 10 | Aston Villa (A) |
| 26 | Stoke (A) | 20 | Everton (A) |
| 27 | West Ham (H) | ||
| October | March | ||
| 3 | Sunderland (H) | 6 | Wolverhampton (A) |
| 17 | Bolton (H) | 13 | Fulham (H) |
| 24 | Liverpool (A) | 20 | Liverpool (H) |
| 31 | Blackburn (H) | 27 | Bolton (A) |
| November | April | ||
| 7 | Chelsea (A) | 3 | Chelsea (H) |
| 21 | Everton (H) | 10 | Blackburn (A) |
| 28 | Portsmouth (A) | 17 | Man City (A) |
| 24 | Tottenham (H) | ||
| December | May | ||
| 5 | West Ham (A) | 1 | Sunderland (A) |
| 12 | Aston Villa (H) | 9 | Stoke (H) |
| 15 | Wolverhampton (H) | ||
| 19 | Fulham (A) | ||
| 26 | Hull (A) | ||
| 28 | Wigan (H) | ||
The first thing that comes to mind here is that we shouldn’t have to worry about those first few games, at least the first three. One of our biggest problems is we play catch-up every season, and it means that we have to get into the higher gears quicker and can’t slowly adjust. I hope whomever Ferguson signs this summer is around for preseason so we can get some of those rusty cogs churning together, before the important games come.
I also wanted to point out some facts about my prediction season with Barclay’s Premier League games, just to show of that I somewhat know what I’m doing. When it comes to the Fantasy Football league, I didn’t even pay attention. It’s too much work for me to monitor and I let it go by the wayside, next season I am going to pick one team and see how it fairs by not making any subsitions or transfers. Perhaps in January I’ll switch it up, to keep it realistic to a managers pains.
My point chart at gameweek 38 is below:
Points Rank Total % of Pop Fantasy Football 1375 1402461 1953805 71.8% I Know The Score 1785 13653 182108 7.5%
In league 18011 (Man United) I was first place, and in 17696 (Canada) I was 6th. 7 out of 10 players did better than me in Fantasy Football, and considering my lack of care, it’s hardly suprising. However, only 7/100 players did better than me in I Know The Score, which is respectable and something I hope to better next season.
Below is my gameweek progression broke into 5 week intervals:
| Gameweek | Position | Points |
| 1 | 79493 | 5 |
| 5 | 26554 | 110 |
| 10 | 21418 | 385 |
| 15 | 10145 | 540 |
| 20 | 9810 | 725 |
| 25 | 8145 | 1100 |
| 30 | 18405 | 1090 |
| 35 | 13722 | 1585 |
| 38 | 13653 | 1785 |
Weeks 23 through 28 were very troublesome for my point spread. I was climbing well into the top 5% then slipped after loosing 90 points in 5 weeks. Best weeks spread was from 32 through 38, where I regained from a poor slip (much like United) to gain 655 points in 7 weeks, or 37% of my total.
My average point gain was 47 points a week this season. I look to hit 60 next season. I also missed about 3 weeks due to lack of care which cost me as it uses league averages to calculate your picks. At my peak I was in the top 2.9% of all players, which is where I hope to land next season by GW 38.
And finally here is the point chart of my game:
If you’re wondering why I’m going on about my games, and struggling to find a reason why you’re reading this, it’s because I welcome people to join my league. It’s the best to play on the site that owns the league, as they have all the rights and update very well. It also shows that I know the EPL well, as my picks have a 93% success rate. Now I just need to go to BetFred as well!
Rio had this to say about the new kit: “This club has always taken pride in its history - it acts as an inspiration to all of us and it’s great to see it represented in the new kit.”
Now, although I realize the kit will be available for viewing on July 1st I wanted to get a sneak peak for myself and my readers so with some brightness, contrast, and low gamma correction I was able to somewhat remove the darkness and reveal a glimpse of the new kit design:
It appears that the next collar will be black and there will be a black “V” underneath the neck hole, as a centennial tip of the hat to the 1909/10 kit that was worn by the first team to play at Old Trafford. It looks alright, but I would buy it either way. I know that there will be a kit design change come next year, so I presume this is a one-off season. The reasoning for the impeding change would be the shirt sponsorship change as AIG have left and AON has taken over.
Hope you like it.
It also won the 23 games that Setanta had for the 2010-13 season, which shows that despite apparently giving up on the Champions League fixtures and moving away from soccer they have upped their stake. Perhaps this was a business deal that ESPN saw coming after reviewing the books in a purposive takeover bid of Setanta back in April. They may have known or speculated on the shaky legs of Setanta and saw a fire sale coming up.
Will the Champions League games that Setanta bought be next? And who is to say will win the rights for the FA Cup games from The FA. Those are already up for bid since the FA severed their connections. Not to mention the SPL who confirmed today that they would not continue with Setanta and are now “actively engaging in the process of selling our domestic broadcasting rights” much in the way the EPL announced last week.
ESPN has “reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers.” Now this is the agreement for broadcasting in the UK, will that mean that it will come to North America? I would bet on it to a certainty, and I would also bet that Setanta will be bankrupt and dissolved before the end of the year, if not by next quarter.
The Premier League will now undoubtedly have much respect for ESPN, as they needed to resolve this matter and with BskyB in a monopolistic problem if they bought all rights, they didn’t have that many areas to turn. ESPN in a statement by the managing director Russell Wolff said “ESPN have a formidable worldwide reputation and experience in sports and I am sure we will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with them”, well as a fan of football, I hope they do.
Here’s to a company who has little chance of ever going bankrupt (reporting a raking in of a substantial $4.5Bn in broadcasting revenue per year) finally delivery a quality product. I will miss Setanta as I mentioned in my June 19 blog, however they did it to themselves. TSN is 20% owned by ESPN, and it's not impossible to get ESPN in Canada, either. I would presume that TSN will pick up ESPN programming via TSN2 in regards to these games. I look forward with optimism to ESPN delivering quality programming, including HD premier league matches, and cheering on Manchester Untied in style.
Yet the true measure is over the long term, and across multiple leagues including England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Dutch, and German. This gives us some telling information; however some of the statistics are slightly skewed as when you think of trophies per manager statistics, it helps when the club wins a lot during that period. There are other factors for success in sport, luck being sometimes very influential not withstanding poor or gracious refereeing standards such as the nature of a cup final. I chose the teams that have dominated their respective leagues traditionally for the past 50 to 100 years.
Regardless, I present to you the statistics put together from major clubs in Europe and the statistics that come out of them. Below is the table, and its values, and under that are the generalizations that can be taken. As with all my statistical analysis, there are gaping holes such as my source being WikiPedia and other factors such as poor history at some clubs. It appears that for 25 years some clubs did not even record who the manager was, thus I decided to remove the trophy count from the years that did not report a manager to give a more accurate statistic. I also reduced the age of club to match manager statistics (so a club that is 150 years old is now 50).
| Club Name | Managers | Club Age (Yrs) | Average | Major Trophies Won | Average per Manager |
| Valencia | 25 | 90 | 3.6 | 24 | 1.0 |
| Real Madrid | 25 | 107 | 4.3 | 72 | 2.9 |
| Barcelona | 59 | 110 | 1.9 | 65 | 1.1 |
| Manchester United | 21 | 131 | 6.2 | 58 | 2.8 |
| Arsenal | 23 | 123 | 5.3 | 39 | 1.7 |
| Liverpool | 18 | 117 | 6.5 | 64 | 3.6 |
| Inter Milan | 55 | 101 | 1.8 | 33 | 0.6 |
| AC Milan | 65 | 110 | 1.7 | 47 | 0.7 |
| Juventus | 46 | 87 | 1.9 | 52 | 1.1 |
| Ajax | 46 | 109 | 2.4 | 63 | 1.4 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 37 | 96 | 2.6 | 44 | 1.2 |
| Werder Bremen | 19 | 46 | 2.4 | 19 | 1.0 |
| Bayern Munich | 21 | 109 | 5.2 | 50 | 2.4 |
| Rangers | 17 | 136 | 8.0 | 111 | 6.5 |
| Celtic | 16 | 121 | 7.6 | 91 | 5.7 |
Statistics as of June 2009, and only from one source (Wikipedia) Manager numbers also contain caretaker managers Duplicates not counted (still stands as long-serving manager, which is what this is qualifiying) Juventus did not have a mangerial listing for 25 years from inception, as it was unorganized, thus 25 years have been removed from history (is a 112 year old team) Werder Bremen only has statistics since 1963 or Bundesliga formation and although is a 110 year old team, has been reduced to match statistics Bayern also only has statistics from Bundesliga onwards, so has been reduced to 1963 timeframe (46 years, Bayern is 109 years old), also cups won outside manager statistics have been removed
Conclusions:
Outside of Scotland, the top 3 clubs for years in charge, in order are: Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Bayern comes in a close fourth, with Real having fifth. These clubs are leagues ahead of the rest, as sixth place comes in with almost an entire year less than Real Madrid, and seventh another year off that.
So by country, in order, it is: Scotland, England, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy.Top 3 List
Trophy winners outside of Scotland are: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool.
Least Managers are: Celtic, Rangers, Liverpool.
Most Managers are: AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan.
Oldest Clubs in list: Rangers, Manchester United, Celtic.
Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid all have very high trophies per manager despite not having won an extreme amount like the Scottish teams, where lack of competition is the true reason for amassing trophies. This speaks volumes, as they also have the highest years per manager which shows that stability breeds a winning ability.
Today Setanta missed its deadline to secure the rights for its 2009/2010 season for Premier League fixtures. This, for me, seems catastrophic in the short term in regards to viewership in Canada and North America on a whole. I was quite satisfied with Setanta, both with their commentators, the amount of games, and their specialty shows. All the way from Friday Football Show to I’m on Setanta Sports, it was enjoyable to watch. The only negative would be their pricing at $14.99 for one channel; however it is not much different than other specialty shows.
There are rumors that ESPN might pick up the 46 games that Setanta has missed out on, however it is more akin to the “we will buy programming that pays back” and it’s debatable if that is true when ESPN regards sports such as the “big four” (Basketball, American Football, Hockey, and Baseball) as the true bread winners. The statistics probably prove that, however I would hazard that the 1.2M subscribers that Setanta enjoyed would easily traverse to ESPN increasing their spread.
I really hate the commentators on ESPN however, especially Tommy Smyth when he commentates on the Champions League fixtures. I’ve never heard someone so biased and down-right ignorant commentating on such an important and well-respected championship. Despite this, I welcome TSN in the regards that I have their sports package and as long as it isn’t an added channel will fit better into my current budget. The matter will be resolved (if not partially) by Monday as the Premier League needs adequate time to distribute rights.
The FA is also affected by this change, and has issued a statement saying that they were happy dealing with Setanta but also knows that their viewership is easily transferable. I know I will want to watch the FA Cup next year, so they have my vote on that. No England games are shown currently on Setanta anyway, they all make it on to PPV for $24.99 a pop. I already feel somewhat gouged for football living in Canada; I really hope this latest development doesn’t make it any worse.
Stay tuned. Excuse my pun.
As I have said to the numerous people who have asked me today, it is not that major to our club. We have been around since 1878 and had many superstars over the years, including those who were deemed essential and had left or retired from the club. Most notably in recent times David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy, both vital players at their time at the club but with United moving on to win more trophies immediately after their departure.
Now not many have surpassed Beckham’s dead ball delivery, nor has anyone ever surpassed Ruud’s goals per game ratio (0.685), yet the proof is in the pudding as they say: since Beckham we have won a European Cup, 3 Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, two Community Shields, and a FIFA World Club Cup. We won only one League title, one FA Cup and one Community shield in the 5 years Ruud was with us, despite his goal poaching prowess.
I am not recounting these facts to go against these fine players, it is just an example that one player never makes a team. We have felt the pain of Cantona’s, and Best’s leaving United but never faltered. After Cantona left we won the Treble, although of course he went into retirement and was not sold. We talked long and hard about the depth of talent in the United team this season, and that will not change after selling one superstar.
Ronaldo is a sensation, an amazing player with great skill. He is also one of the most flamboyant and annoying players I have ever witnessed, and that is something I will be glad to see the back off. I hope that players such as Wayne Rooney can now have the role they deserve and we pick up a hard working winger, such as Valencia or that Tosic can now have a run in the first team.
The $145M CAD is an extreme amount of money that can help service debt as well as purchase some up-and-coming talent. I would highlight the defensive midfielder role, and who knows; perhaps Essien is ready to come to the team he supports? That would be terrific! Benzema would be a nice purchase as I have alluded to in previous posts. In the end, it will be a little less emotional on the Old Trafford grounds next season if Ronaldo is to go (which he inevitably will), however the trophies will still enjoy the massive United cabinet for many years to come.
I am not going to compare Ronaldo to another transfer target, or his record, as it speaks for itself. He was the first player at United to get the FIFA World Player (a new award), and that again speaks volumes about him as a technically gifted player. He is good in the air, on the ground, moving past players, and now and then even picking the telling pass. He was never known as a hard worker, someone who tracks back and defends, but his goal scoring ability more than made up for that. I will not enjoy seeing him play for Real Madrid, but I will enjoy seeing another English club knock them out of the Champions League next season.
I will also have a rue smile on my face if he flops and smacks the ground in his Madrid jersey, however I do not wish for his career to go stagnant or for him not to continue developing. He has to be very thankful for Sir Alex and the United management team for all the help along the way, and although the man is arrogant, I think he’ll be the first to admit his time at Manchester United and the memories he gained were well worth it.
Let’s see what unravels either next week, or by the end of the month when this deal and perhaps others will be finalized. And who thought that off-season is dull? Not I!
With all the gossip floating around the airwaves from May until September, you just never know what faces you will see departing and arriving at your beloved club. I will take the next few months, along with pre-season analysis, to delve into this subject matter. The first on the table is the Carlos Tevez Affair, and no I don’t mean another law suit against West Ham, I mean the transfer saga.
It has been going on since at least October of 2008, when Carlos was all bubbly and loving his football. It got rather sour around the March/April area, which is when he changed his tune to “disrespect” and “not enough games”. I’m not sure what a loaned player truly expects, and he cannot just think that he will get a free ride in the squad. There is a clear pecking order when it comes to United, and that is Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and then a battle between Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez.
Now outside of the roster, which may have Ronaldo moving on, but that is another saga; we have to understand how Sir Alex Ferguson views the team. Does he believe that Wayne’s future is a central striker? Will he prefer him as an on-rushing winger in a 4-3-3, which we have seen as of late? Perhaps a roaming role, akin to his England job with switching with the industrious Steven Gerrard? I would hazard the guess of the 4-3-3 method on most occasions, and when push comes to shove and a defensive midfielder is called for, a more central role.
Given this information, and looking at how well it worked for Barcelona last Wednesday, I would say that having Carlos on the right wing, Rooney on the left, and Berbatov in the middle doesn’t look right. Now what might look fitting is a young Frenchman by the name of Karim Benzema. He plays this role for Lyon very well, and when you consider having the abilities of Rooney and Benzema on the wings, it is quite frightening. Tevez offers a massive amount of drive, ambition, heart, and strike power. What he does not offer is goals per game ratio?
Doubt my statistical abilities? I think not. Here are some interesting comparisons of the two strikers:
| 2006/2007 | 2007/2008 | 2008/2009 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals Scored | Games Played | Goals Scored | Total Ratio | |
| Carlos Tevez | 29 | 7 | 48 | 19 | 51 | 15 | 0.32 |
| Karim Benzema | 28 | 8 | 52 | 31 | 47 | 23 | 0.49 |
Putting my French hat (peree?) on: Interesting, no? The goal ratio of Karim is much better than Tevez, albeit that perhaps he plays more minutes in the games. That is a statistic that is of course much harder to find, however just looking at Karim at 19 he had scored 8 goals in 28 games in his first-season.
Now you may all say, so what, he can score goals? Well, a lot say that about Rooney but his ratio is in fact 0.41, much better than Tevez. Even Dimitar with his start-stop benched season has got 0.34 ratio after 41 games (6 less than Tevez this season, by the way). When we check his career back to Bayer Leverkuson in 2001, up until Manchester United, Dimitar hits with an outstanding 0.45 ratio. Tevez over his career has a 0.38 going back to Boca Juniors.
So a good judge is the Actim Index for the Barclay’s Premier League. An interesting fact is Dimitar Berbatov came in 4th on the Top 100 Index rankings with 586, and 3rd on the Top 10 Striker list; which means he is quite outstanding. Wayne comes in at 8th with 423 Index rating on the Top 10 Striker list. If they considered Ronnie a striker, he would be in there at 5th with a 517 index. Carlos? Not even in the Top 100 list. On the Top Scorers? 62nd, with 5 goals.
Assists are also a key component, especially if we are going with the aforementioned 4-3-3 formation. Guess who came in second in the whole EPL? No, not Tevez, its Berbatov. 10 Assists this season, when coupled with his 9 goals makes him sit at a Ryan Point level of 19. Wayne? 7 assists, with his 12 goals makes 19. Ronaldo? That whopping 18 goals helps, and 6 assists has him lead the way with 24 points. Finally, we have Tevez with 5 goals and - count them - 3 assists. That hits him with 8 points. I mean Nani got 4 assists Carlos! NANI!
Now don’t get me wrong I think Tevez is a great player, it’s the price tag that I and David Gill are having some issues with. We have paid 6M pounds for him as of today, and at 25.5M more, that is more than Dimitar and Rooney cost. That doesn’t seem right for the fourth-string striker (albeit one may be gone), and I’m not convinced we can’t get Benzema for less than the 30M that is quoted. He has been a fantastic player for us, and if they are going to gouge us for his services, then he should be content with the 4 medals he has won in the 2 years.
I want to see his name in a United shirt next season, and I want it to be for 20M pounds so we have some money to seek out a few new young players to bolster the central midfield. Depending on what else happens on the saga, 20M may seem sixpence when looking at the expected revenue a certain gelled-tumbler can garnish. In the end, Carlos, you have served us well and were a loyal player. Whatever happens, you will always be remembered fondly at Old Trafford.
Oh and by the way, as regarding Benzema you may have been wondering how he scored in Ryan’s Points? He had 3 assists this season, with 23 goals, so he sits at 26 points. 2 more than a certain Portuguese international. Last season? 38. Not to bad considering Ronaldo’s break-through season of last year had him at 31 goals and 7 assists which gives him the same 38 points. If the Frenchman comes to Old Trafford, we may see a great new breed of football. He is only 21, and fits nicely with Mr. Rooney in both pace, power, and grace.
Much can be said about United lack of a defensive/holding midfielder. Perhaps Carrick should be able to take that role, however on the showing last night he was most definitely lacking the one quality that made him special this year. That was the quality that Barcelona had in abundance: passing. He gave the ball away many times, and his partnership with Park and Anderson did not help either.
I presume there was no way Park would not play this game, due to the apparent upset it caused Sir Alex last year. Also, Anderson has shown grit and determination that was abundant against Arsenal. I think we found that Barcelona are a much more gifted team than that of Arsenal; as the Gunners are young and although they have the grace of Fabregas, they do not have the measured skill of Xavi and Iniesta. We did not match them in the center, and after the first goal that would always be our undoing.
There is no real reason to go on about our strong first 10 minutes, as that is only 11% of the game. We did have chances, they were not taken, and that is over the whole 90 minutes. Berbatov slid a nice ball across the line, and everyone bundled into each other. That was when my friend and I realized it was not going to be our night. United have come back to win on numerous occasions, but lady luck was far away from us.
When Messi scored a header; unmarked by Rio; it capped the performance. We did not show up after the deflating Eto’o goal, and from there on it was dismal at best. Chasing long balls hit by our centre-half, and generally not creating any passing movement. Giggs is right that if we had put the first goal in, we probably could have played the similar confident passing game; but we didn’t. And for that reason Barcelona were allowed to play their game, which is a very tight and measured one.
It was a disappointing night all around, and many will talk about Messi being crowned the new World Player of the Year. Quite frankly, this title means nothing as Messi will tell you; and Ronaldo the current holder did before the match. Only one thing really matters and that is how many medals you have, how many cups you have one, and the Cup we saw slip through our fingers last night is the best of the best in club football today.
Congratulations to the Catalans and their mighty Barcelona, you have great talent, and it seems fitting that the man who was touted to leave scored the deciding goal that changed the feel of the game. As many headlines are ringing about Untied crumbling, and Barcelona overcoming us, it is true but is admirable when it comes from a player scorned. In looking at this match I do not think we were “found out” as some fans of other clubs preclude, it is more that we did not show up. I would like to see us invest in some defensive and holding midfielders in the summer as we need to have the mid-era filled in (the golden generation as I pointed out needs the 24-29 generation, as we have a solid 29 and over and a solid 24 and under).
Perhaps we can pry someone who meets that caliber, or even better to have Owen Hargreaves back and fit. If we have Fletcher molded harder into that role, then we can have two solid hard working people to cover our defense when it is needed. With the talent we have up front, it should be easy enough to use a deeper midfield, with a pass master linking play. I like the diamond or front triangle formation; it seems to work well against most teams.
Well, the season is over, and it was a good one but we didn’t enjoy the level that was on the papers in the early of 2009. No quintuple, just three trophies. I look forward to preseason, and I will continue to post on the transfer markets and rumors coming out from the world this summer.
As we all expected, United were crowned Champions for the 2008/2009 season. I never doubted them, however I blindly support both teams (England and Man Utd) which is what is necessary if you devote yourself to one sport. 
Just as Eric Cantona has said, and I quote “I don’t play against a particular team. I play against the idea of losing.” For that was the way United approached this season, they ground out results regardless of the opposition.
Ferguson has said that pivotal wins include the double over teams like Stoke, who had made a fortress of the Britannia Stadium, which much credit to Tony Pulis. It appears that our main rivals were not able to conjure anything more than a tie on both accounts, and just there it is, the four points we currently hold over them at game 37. Liverpool’s manager could not bring himself to show respect to the greatest manager, a poor loser by my account.
On Rafa and our nearest Rivals
The League Managers Association (LMA) has urged them to fix the rift, which is a silly ploy by an association with little to do. Sir Alex has no reason to mend rifts with arrogant managers; I’m sorry, but in the end we are the Champions, and as many banners allured to it’s a “FACT: 18 titles”. We have now officially caught up with Liverpool who lamely boasts to be the Champions of England via title wins in a league that hasn’t existed for almost 20 years.
Rafa said “I prefer just to say well done to the club, a big club, a good club,” and continued “Normally you have to be polite and respect the other manager but during the season we have seen a lot of things that I didn’t like, so that’s it”, and ended with, “I say congratulations to United because they have won. And that’s it.” 
Yes, we all saw a lot of things that we didn’t like, such as a manager gesticulating that it was fact that Sir Alex Ferguson got preferential treatment. Well Rafa, maybe when you win the domestic title even ONCE, you will get some treatment of your own.
I think any true sports fan knows this to be a farce, and if Liverpool doesn’t think they are included in the “big club” statement he laid down himself, they must be joking. We only have to go back one season to see all the “18 title” slogans from the Liverpool fans. I presume now it will be all about clinging on to the “5 Champions League Titles” claim. It’s rather pathetic, and in the end he needs to bring home a domestic much like Mourinho did for Chelsea. I’d never expect Jose to rant about treatment, as he would see that as good gamesmanship, something that Rafa struggles with.
I don’t want to go on more about the Rafa rants of the season, and in his dying moments as a rival to our title, however when he calls them a “big club, a good club” where does he think we got that recent vitality from? We were not winning trophies from the late 80s and early 90s. Sir Alex took the team back to its former glory, and deservers all the accolades he has achieved. Does any Liverpool fan expect Rafa to go on to win 11 titles? I seriously doubt it.
On the 0-0
The boys didn’t play particularly well in the last match against Arsenal, something that I was half expecting due to the expectations and perhaps a small piece of certainly that removes a level of grit. In the end they got the result we needed, perhaps not wanted, but that is how the ball rolls.
On tying the Domestic Title Haul (18)
I am very happy that we have now tied the reign of Liverpool, as I am sure that Sir Alex would agree. That is an incredible landmark for us to reach at this stage, and now we can move into next season with the knowledge we can attain the title of most decorated British club, or at the least the most successful domestic team.
Next Season, the Golden Generation, and the Champions League
I look forward to what the next season will bring. Sir Alex has said numerous times that the Barcelona Champions League final is the one he wants to win, as now that we have tied up the domestic challenge, there is still a gap of two trophies in regards to Europe. It appears that Sir Alex will play a contain mentality with counter-attack when playing Barca, a tactic that worked well when we met them last season in the knock-out stages. A Paul Scholes was all we needed, much like the Ronaldo wonder-goal from Porto. A goal will do, and a goal will give me the elation I so require!
Neville and Giggs have both made comments that this team is superior to the Treble winning team of 1999. Mainly due to the fact of its depth, and I have heard Andy Cole on Football Matters say much the same. The 1999 team had much talent, that cannot be overlooked, but the strength in depth that United enjoy in the current squad is unmatched. Not only is there strength across all lines, there is also the undeniable three generation team. We have the young 17 to 22 year olds that include the Macheda, Welbeck, and Anderson’s. We have the 22 to 27 year olds that have the Rooney, Ronaldo, and Carrick’s. And finally we have the legends of the Ferdinand, Neville, Scholes, and Giggs who are all 28 to 36.
This means we have talent to come through for the next 10 years, which means that more trophies are likely to come our way. This means we are in a golden generation for the club, which has a good chance of helping affect our National Team at the same time. Although United rely on some international talent, as per my older blog we have about a 54% British contingency, which will maintain due to the grass-roots initiatives of our academy. It is a great time to be a United fan, a time that I will cherish and hold to see continuing for some time.
The lads played well in both of their games this week, and got the 6 points we needed. The City game was easy enough with two goals and a clean sheet, however the Wigan game was much more closely contested and it took some grit and determination to fight back and win. It appears we have got our goal scoring boats back on, as in the last 5 games we have scored 10 and conceded 2. Indeed since our last slip up against Fulham we have netted 25 goals in all competition, which accounts for 12 games.
In the City game, it was a rather simple derby, with a both sides battling for the first half. After Ronaldo’s deflected free kick went in, City became more malleable. 
Tevez hit a well placed curler off the bar, and by the second half had a nice setup from Berbatov and put it off the right-post and into the left corner. Recently, Tevez has been playing with more guile, whether it is to show off his talents to his prospective employers or for the love of the shirt, I can’t tell.
The Wigan game was much more of that; a game. It was contested well by Wigan, which was more than likely due to the torrential rain that flooded the pitch, mixed with the power and strength of the Wigan side. 
The first goal, which was conceded by United, was due to a slip in the box by Vidic. The commentators made much of the “skill” of Hugo Rodallega. I admit, the Columbian looks a great prospect due to his power and guile. However, the goal had every bit to do with the un-fortuitous slip of Vidic in the box, much like Gibbs with Park last week.
A solid performance merited our spot in Rome against (fresh off the wire) Barcelona, I can’t wait! Ronaldo was the classy player in this fixture and truly showed his ability in this game. His cutting cross from the by-line setup the first goal from Park, and his 41 yard free-kick stunned the slow-to-react Almunia. And finally, it was the Portugese magician who slotted home a magnificent flowing attack with Park and Rooney. As I have often said this season, Ronaldo and Rooney are the key to United scoring goals. Although we have the dogged and determined Tevez and the industrious Berbatov, it is truly these two that make us “tick” offensively.
It went so well Rooney and Evra were substituted to ensure no yellow-cards ruined their hopes of a Final role. The only shadow cast over the game was the penalty decision, perhaps correct by the “letter of the law” as Hislop suggested, but still very harsh considering the circumstances. It was the only way Arsenal was going to score.
Darren Fletcher now misses out on the Final; in a game he was very likely to have a role in. He has been playing very well this season, and that is why the manager has given him starting roles in both of the semi-final matches. It is a shame for him, as he deserved to have his moment in the final, and he is not a malicious player by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed even Wenger said the penalty was “very harsh”, and that says a lot coming from a French-man.
The weekend brought another solid result for United, and it was Park again that was on the scoring. The first goal was easy, a Ryan Giggs shot to the bottom-right, with no hope for Brad Jones. The second was a creative reverse pass from Rooney to unleash Park in the box who fired home. Indeed, two goals in two games for the South Korean is something I haven’t seen in a long time… if ever? Although I rate the man very highly, goal scoring has always been a little late for him, and even glorious open net chances have gone miles wide more often than not.
It was the perfect result to go into the Champions League tie, and now a mouth-watering final awaits the Champions. I can’t wait to play Barcelona, and indeed, I had it pegged as another Chelsea vs. United final. I couldn’t see Barcelona finding their scoring legs against Chelsea, and up until the 93rd minute I was correct. From what I have read Essien’s goal was delightful, however I’ll have to wait for the highlights to confirm.
Until then we have the Premier League to win, and our next fixture being the Manchester Derby, we’ll need to be firing on the same cylinders. I don’t think we’ll have any upsets like last year, as we all know how important the fixture is. They caught us at unfortunate periods, and I don’t see it being the same this season. I call it at 2-0 to United, and my I Know the Score agrees. Enjoy your weekends!The only negative I see in the performance would be that we didn’t score more goals. Rooney had a looping header saved brilliantly by Almunia, Tevez had two 6 foot strike attempts saved (I don’t know how much Almunia knew about them), Ronaldo had a header blocked and one volley struck the bar with menace. In the end Almunia deserved his player rating at the BBC of 7.57 as he was the best man on the pitch; for Arsenal anyway.
Ronaldo looked very good, and has come into form over the past three games. Of course Rooney has been in form all season, and working on the left in the similar fashion of last game, he gave a lot of vision and movement to the team. Ferguson favoured Tevez over Berbatov, part for his drive, part for a token gift to the man almost certainly destined for a move from the club this summer. As evident by his replacement in the 67th minute by the Bulgarian, and the substitution did not change the pace as many would have thought and Berb worked hard for team.
The real story was Fletcher and Anderson, for me, as they were immense for the drive that encompassed the entire performance. Neither one stopped harassing the ball, nor allowed Arsenal to win the second ball repeatedly. Their hard work was exceptional for me, and I was very impressed and proud of the pairing. Carrick worked well and indeed setup John O’Shea who had a solid performance at right back again for United. Evra kept Walcott firmly in his pocket with the help of Rooney, despite people berating his seasonal performance (which I believe is somewhat unfounded).
And the special moment of the night was the 800th appearance of the PFA Player of the Year, Ryan Giggs. A petition has been made to make him a Knight, and I believe he truly deserves it. There is also talk of him becoming the next Wales manager much like his other United Welshman, Mark Hughes. Giggs has already received his A License, and now he needs to coach some games. With his current form, he may find it hard to get the hours necessary in the current campaign. He had the ball in the back of the net, yet was deemed of side by the officials.
I felt the officials had a poor match, and that Anderson had a moment when he was in behind unmarked and was harshly ruled off-side. Giggs opportunity was exceptionally marginal, and if the rule book says advantage to the attacker, it doesn’t show in the calls that are made. Finally, the Referee must have had something in for the Portuguese starlet as Ronaldo was fouled repeatedly and never received a free-kick (I think he got one, perhaps). I was not happy with that at all, as he seemed happy to give away pointless calls in the middle of the pitch, but over reluctant in the last third.
All’s well that ends well, and as Ferguson had said earlier 1-0 suits United just fine. No away goals from Arsenal mean that if we can pinch an early goal (first 30 minutes) we can have a tight stroll to the final. The bad news is that we have to wait on a scan of Ferdinand’s rib-cage to ensure he will be available for the second leg, and perhaps the remainder of the EPL Season. My fingers and toes are crossed, double.
The comeback was on against Tottenham this weekend. Much has been said about the apparent “incorrect penalty” call that Howard Webb made. And much to his credit, he has come out and admitted he has erred. However, you only need to look to the weekend before when Everton were allowed to chop down Welbeck in a semi-final to see these things work themselves out. A pundit asked the question of which penalty I would have chosen, and the answer to that is to ask me May 13th…
We were 2-0 down at half-time due to a slack defensive meltdown and a great save from Gomes on a Ronaldo second-attempt free kick. However once Tevez was brought on for the continually lack-luster Nani, we were exceptional. People can say that the penalty changed the game, but it didn’t make Rooney and Ronaldo become telepathic and it certainly did not make Spurs commit seppuku. I was impressed with the dynamic duo, the found each other continually and Rooney setup every goal that we scored.
He threaded at 30 yard pass through 5 people to put it on Carrick’s foot, before Gomes came in and dismantled him. I agree, not a penalty, but these things happen and the Champions have a way of making the ones they need count. The exceptional Rooney then fired low through the legs of Woodgate into the near post and Gomes could only push it into the net. He then floated a magnificent ball over the top of the Spurs centre-backs on to the diving head of Ronaldo: this was the best goal of the game.
Later Ronaldo replayed the favour with a similar floated cross box ball to Rooney who slotted it past Gomes with Woodgate fumbling over the line. The last goal came from Berbatov by collecting yet another Rooney cross and bundling it past Gomes. No big celebration from the Bulgarian, either because it was against his old club, but more likely because Berb’s likes to score nice goals, not “tap-ins”.
Paul Aaron Scholes was born on the November 16, 1974 in Salford (a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester). He grew up as an Oldham Athletic supporter, but trained with Manchester United from the age of 14. Scholes represented the Great Britain National Schools in football in his final term of school. Although not in the FA Youth Cup-winning squad that includes David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, he was in the youth team the following year that made it to the final.
His debut for United came on September 21 1994, where he scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Port Vale F.C. in the Football League Cup. During 1995-96, after Mark Hughes moved to Chelsea, Scholes enjoyed more first-team opportunities. Over the years Scholes has moved from striker to attacking midfield, and now in a more central holding midfield role. He does not score as many goals as he did during the 1997 to 2003 years of his career, however will still score many important goals.
This was most recently highlighted in his 30 yard volley against F.C. Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, which United won 1-0 on aggregate. Paul missed out on the Treble winning final of the Champions League in 1999 against Bayern Munich due to suspension. From all accounts nothing would have stopped him playing in the 2008 Final, and that included Ferguson. Ferguson has always called Scholes “his own man” and fully believes he will not be able to stop Scholes from retiring from football at the end of next season (09/10).
His qualities were also shown again in the victory over Portsmouth last night, with a sensational 20 yard slide-rule pass between defenders on to the foot of Michael Carrick, who calmly slotted the shot in the left hand corner of David James’ goal. This exemplified Paul Scholes changing career from a strike rate peak of 20 goals in a season, to the calm influence and passing genius of a midfield maestro. Much like the rest of his career Scholes will not seek out the attention of the media, and during his rapturous applause for 600 matches, he meekly waved to the crowed.
A funny quote from Paul Scholes came when he was in Argentina, and asked who his favourite footballers were by the Argentinean media. With all the cameras and microphones expecting the illustrious names of the 60s to 90s, including their famed Diego Maradona, Paul replied with “Frankie Bunn”; the man who “Scored six goals in a League Cup tie against Scarborough once”, a record that still holds to this day. He has always been the player’s player, and will continue to be worshipped at United long after he hangs up his boots.
I’ll leave the Scholes landmark with a few quotes:
Sir Bobby Charlton: “And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that he’ll find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce a decisive volley.”
“When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore. He’s always on the ball. He’s always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill.”
“I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes.”
Wayne Rooney: “Paul Scholes is amazing. Some of his football against Fulham, I don’t think any other footballer in the world could produce. In my eyes he is one of the best ever.”
Dimitar Berbatov: “I don’t think there is anyone else in the world like Paul Scholes. He is the only person who can shoot with that accuracy. His passing and the way he changes the game is brilliant. Every manager would be happy to have him but it is our luck that he plays for us.”
Rio Ferdinand: “He’ll do ridiculous things in training like say, "You see that tree over there?" - it’ll be 40 yards away - "I’m going to hit it". And he’ll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best”
Edgar Davids: “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is. We can all learn from Paul Scholes.”
Thierry Henry: “Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Paul Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is the one who directs the way his team plays. On top of all that he has that indestructible mental strength, and he is a genuine competitor.”
Peter Schmeichel: “His reading of the game is unsurpassed. He has the best eye for a pass, for what the play or the game needs at that precise moment, that I have ever seen anyone else have. He controls and distributes the play and the game better than anyone I have ever seen.”
Zinedine Zidane: “My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation.”
Marcello Lippi: “Paul Scholes would have been one of my first choices for putting together a great team - that goes to show how highly I have always rated him.”
Laurent Blanc: “I tell anyone who asks me - Scholes is the best English player.”
And perhaps the funniest one I’ve read over the years:
Sir Alex Ferguson:“The most amazing thing is Paul Scholes, in the morning, when a player goes to have a pee at the side of the training pitch and he fires balls from 40 yards right on top of their head!”
“He got Gary Neville right in the head and Neville chased him across the pitch!”
Well done Paul, and to next season, perhaps your last, but never surpassed.
EVERTON 4 - MAN UTD 2 (PEN)
I always remain unbiased with a coat of red, so I will give it to Everton that given their opponents in this run, they have done it the hard way. 
I also will say that if we could have gone out to any of the semi-finalists, it is only Everton that I could take on the chin. Not only do they have players who respect our club, and vice-versa, but also the managers have a good relationship. If we had gone down to Chelsea, it would have been a revenge match; Liverpool an on-going vengeance match; and Arsenal a pre-emptive Champions league scare match.
Also, I’d put the odds on Moyes succeeding Ferguson at a higher rate of exchange if he pulls off victory over Chelsea. When you look at the amount of injuries to strikers and high profile players (Yakubu and Arteta for instance), you have to admire his ability to conjure up results. They have cemented a Europa spot again this season, and look to be applying strong pressure on Villa. I would wager them to pip Villa on 5th spot by the end of the season, judging by Villa’s inability to keep clean sheets, or even win at home.
The steely blue-eyed Moyes has my respect, and that includes the majority of the British public. He would have large boots to fill at the United hot-seat, yet you cannot question his ability to maneuver in a low-budget club; so we can only imagine his abilities with the resources available at the Devils. Good luck to Moyes in the final, I hope he is able to overrun the other boys in blue. I cannot say that we didn’t play well, or even that one side deserved it. I would, however, say that the no-penalty decision was clearly a mistake by Riley, and the Everton manager seems to agree with me.
Any team that goes out on penalties can hold their heads up high, although I would say that Berbatov should truly rethink using his sly-skill on the spot. This is where hammering a volley to the corner is needed, which we know he is capable of. He said that the reason for his miss was that he had fully commited to the left and when he saw the keeper dive he half-heartedly tried to pull out of it (hence down the middle and the foot save). I’m sorry Berba, for $50M (30M pounds) you need to be converting those. 
This is where Ronaldo and Rooney would have come in helpful, however I couldn’t believe Rio and Vidic went before Tevez…
As far as our mid-week game against Portsmouth, I now remain fully optimistic. Considering the amount of players that were rested, and the amazing showing of Vidic and Rio in defense; we are regaining the solidarity that will be needed in the remaining 7 games + Champions League. The only positive to take away (outside of the tight schedule if we were in both the Champions League final and FA Cup final which are 3 days apart) would be the showing of the young lads on a high-pressure stage. A lot of media spouting was directed at Ferguson for picking a young squad, along the lines of showing disrespect, yet if you saw Ferguson’s face when the penalty was waived away, I think it shows his view on this Cup. He wanted it.
The average age of all players was 22.6 years old, and that includes Rio (30), Vidic (27), Park (28), and Foster (26). Who would think that a 30 year old would be the oldest in our squad when you think about Neville, Giggs, and Scholes! It was a stark contrast to Everton’s average age of 27.3 years old. The youngest on Everton’s team was Fellaini the afro-wearing man from Belgium, and United's was Macheda the 17-year-old late minute whiz-kid from Italy. In the end the young players stood up and were counted, by all accounts it was a game that was there for the taking for United.
On to the facts and figures on Speed in the EPL. I found an interesting site that you should visit which allows Opta Sportsdata to be analyzed and produced in nice fancy flash format for your viewing enjoyment. It had some numbers that honestly surprised me, and rather than draw them out into tiny details I will simply post some screenshots and allow you to draw conclusions for yourself. Most important to me, is that two United players are in the Top 3 fastest in the EPL, and Rooney is one of the more surprising. Without further ado:
We made it nervy by not pressing for the second goal, but that seems to be the way of United in Europe. Gone are the days of open football that allowed sharp attacks to come in from the behind and gut us, now Ferguson has truly mastered the art of Europe much like Rafa Benitez for Liverpool. Everyone showed up to fight in this game, the manager got his wish for the 1999 spirit. It was ebbing from them at moments and the opening 15 minutes was spectacular.
And if we are talking about spectacular and this specific game, none can hold that title higher than Cristiano Ronaldo. The gelled-tumbler unleashed a magnificent strike that the goal keeper couldn’t have reached with go-go-gadget tentacles. It was a 43 yard strike that entered the top left corner and reached speeds of 65 MPH (104 KM/H). Considering the length of the strike, for it to hit that speed is quite incredible to say the least. Ronaldo has cited it as his best goal to date, and here’s to him scoring many more in the future with a red shirt.
Of course, the same old Real Madrid sparring has begun about signing a “world class” player to the Bernabéu. At some points I feel like saying good riddance, and others I would gut them for keeping his skills. It appears that no matter what happens, Ferguson was so riled by their last attempts he still sticks by his comments of “[not even] selling them a virus”.
Ronaldo has a choice; he can leave and play fiesta football and move around clubs enjoying the various lifestyles, much like a familiar Brazilian did when he was touted as the best; or he can follow the legendary life of the names etched in stone at Old Trafford much like Charlton, Giggs, or as expected Messi at Barcelona. The choice is his to make. The one thing I will say is that Rohaldinho made the choice of starlet, and he has never recovered to his status of years past. I hope Ronaldo makes the right decision; for him.
In other games, Chelsea and Liverpool had an amazing match. 8 goals conceded on either side of the pitch, with Kuyt giving the Reds a possibility to score one goal to go through. In the end Chelsea held their nerves and won 7-5 on aggregate. I never thought I would see the day of Chelsea and Liverpool having a 12 goal two-leg score line. Its insane; and another advertisement for our glorious league.
Barcelona went into cruise control in the Allianz Arena; and tied 1-1 with Bayern Munich. Although I did not watch the game, I did read that a certain Frenchman not only wants to play for Barca but also wriggled them inside and out to highlight his abilities to the management. Franck Ribery is a great player, and from his time at Marseille I knew he had the ability to play for the best.
Finally, Arsenal went up against Villarreal and won comfortable 3-0. I knew this result was coming, as Arsenal have been moving into total football recently with the return of some key players. Although it appears that their defense has had some injuries, it will have to be seen against stiff competition whether it will affect them. They will be playing away to Liverpool, United and home to Chelsea in the league; Chelsea in the FA Cup; and United twice in the Champions league. The results from those games will be paramount to whether Arsenal can feel the cold silverware this year.
In the other competition that changes names like its going out of style, Manchester City will be playing Hamburg at home. They need to overturn a 3-1 loss, and as long as they turn up with the right flare, and people; they might just do it. I would like to see an English team do well in that competition, even if its one that is changing faces quicker than Jim Carrey during stand-up.
Another great week of European football, and one that I (as a United fan) can be proud of.
Interested in the MPH of Ball Sports? Here is some information that I know you were craving:And Football specific is the Three Davids (even though Guiness says the fastest is 80.1 MPH (129 KM/H) which is obviously only in a studio judging by the name of the guy):
Rank Sport MPH (KM/H) 1 Jai Alai 188 (300) 2 Golf 170 (272) 3 Badminton 162 (259) 4 Tennis 153 (245) 5 Squash 151 (242)
Rank Name MPH (KM/H) 1 David Hirst 114 (182) 2 David Beckham 97.9 (157) 3 David Trezeguet 96 (154)
We saw 40 goals scored in 10 matches, a goal scoring ratio that rivals even the Bundesliga with its 3.06 goals average (which I still see as poor defending as evident in the Barcelona thrashing of Bayern). I'm not sure if it is a record for 40 goals in 10 games, as it is a hard statistic to find. It was however goals that were incredibly important, if you just look at a few of the results. The Chealsea v Bolton game; The win for Middlesborough; The late tie for Newcastle; The second game winner for Macheda and United; The 4 goal thrashing by Liverpool; The three goal comback thriller of Villa; just to name a few!
Now when it comes to those pivotal points I look first at the one to which I personally have the most vested interest in; which is the battle of the Big Four, yet more so the battle of the Top 3. Chelsea sits in third with 67 points, after a brilliant game that saw them go 4 goals up at home, with Bolton clawing back 3 goals. I saw the last 5 minutes at it was hare-um scare-um at the back for Chelsea to say the least. They almost scored at the last minute to grab a point!
Liverpool sits in second place at 70 points, and gave a thoroughly solid performance after the shocker of the 3-1 loss to Chelsea in the Champions League. It was a good reponse from the team and the fans must be proud of them in that respect. Torres goal in the first 20 minutes was sensational, with a calm take down from his chest, and a shivel half-volley into the far top left corner. Agger’s goal was also sensational with a 30 yard strike into the top left corner, one that Michael Ballack would be proud of.
And finally it leaves Manchester United who sit at 71 points, albeit with a game in hand. Ferguson is right, and justified, in seeing a one point lead not four. It is never a guarantee that we will beat Portsmouth, and it seems that the usual fortress of Old Trafford has become somewhat of a rubble of its former self. We did respond well to the intial shock of the equalizer, yet the score line of 2-1 at the Stadium of Light is hardly something to be proud of. It wasn’t the response we needed to go to Portugal with our heads held high, yet then again the formation seemed a little strange.
To have Tevez, Berbatov, and Rooney all on the line-up will take some serious discipline to not get in each others way. Of course Rooney setup Schole in the first goal, yet he is not a natural left wing player in the slightest. I expect to see Berbatov and Rooney starting up front against Porto, which is great to hear. As usual you never know what Ferguson is going to throw out, as the media would have you believe that both Berbatov and Jonny Evans were un-fit for the Sunderland match and both started.
Due to this I fully expect Rio Ferdinand to be back for the Porto game, and with good timing. In the end Manchester United got the result this weekend, but we relied once more on the quick feet of Macheda, which is un-nerving considering the amount of attacking talent we had on the pitch before he come on (90M pounds, or $150M worth in 3 players…). Although with the performance that Macheda keeps putting in, and with the likes of Welbeck and Campbell, I do not expect Ferguson to sign a $40M deal for Tevez come summer. It doesn’t make fiscal sense, unfortunately.
So all the best to the lads going into the Porto game, please do me proud! A win in Portugal will surely galvanize you all for the Everton FA Cup Semi-Final clash, and if we can then get a result there, I feel it could be smooth running. Good luck, as I feel we may need it.
I thought about making the Domestic talent only English, and after looking at the numbers found that the difference between United Kingdom talent or Great Britain talent to English wasn’t that great. Really it meant the difference of 5-10% and was not that significant. In the end I want this to be a comparison to the Olympic national requirement, which would then include the countries either way.
Perhaps later I will add a correlation from UK to actual English heritage, but for this comparison it didn’t seem necessary as I was looking towards the Olympic requirements rather than simple constitutional rights. The most interesting fact that I found out in regards to the Top 3 Leagues is that Manchester United sits at the forefront of domestic talent at a whopping 54% Domestic from a 37 man squad. I was quite proud when I then compared them to the two teams below us who sit at 20%, and 23% respectively.
In the end the league has a rich vein of foreign talent, but the "5+6" rule that Seth Blatter has been calling for, would not diminish most teams at their current status. Domestic would mean "English" and that word "English" could mean anything, really; as are you accounting the soil they were born, the citizenship they sword to, the passport they carry, or what? As all three of those things may be different but they still might be "English". Either way it works out to 45%, which looking at my table means that 13/20 teams wouldn’t even have to adjust their squads.
I did not have time to check every team in the other leagues; however I’m sure it would be a similar number judging on the Top 3 numbers that I provide. Using the Top 3 it would cast a large shadow over the football we enjoy today; out of the 9 teams only 2 teams easily make the cut, Manchester United from the EPL and Juventus FC from Serie A. FC Barcelona is right on the cusp at 45.83%, and might have to bench stars such as the talented Lionel Messi from Argentina to make the cut.
The teams in the EPL that would have to radically change their current status would be Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Wigan and Blackburn. All these teams have fewer than 40% and Arsenal at a dismal 22%. I do believe this rule would help the domestic game in some ways; however hurt it in others. If the EPL becomes less competitive the English players will not be competeing at the same level. The challenge is what makes them need to be the best; and when we look at Liverpool and Chelsea, they engine rooms are Gerrard/Carragher and Lampard/Terry; two of which are the captains and integral to the teams ability.
Some facts that can be drawn from the EPL numbers are:
And as some people have suggested, considering England are sitting undefeated in qualifying and in the Top 10 FIFA rankings; it obviously isn’t hurting us too bad. We understand we haven’t won the World Cup recently but neither has Spain, who actually has an even worse percentage than the EPL Top 3. Spain has the lowest of the three countries, and managed to win the European Cup. It appears people will draw whatever conclusions they like, but without ever looking at the "facts" as Rafa Benetiz would say.
I leave you with the facts that I have gained using Wikipedia’s team rosters. All numbers are taken from the First Team and never includes members out on loan; even though it appears that many domestic names (Campbell, Simpson for United for instance) are out on loan as they are young up-and-comers.
This was by far one of the worst performances by Manchester on a European night that I can remember; just the statistics would tell you
that. Now we move on to Portugal to go into a stadium that has never tasted
defeat by an English side, an up-hill climb that was our own making. The
defense last night was terrible, too inconsistent, and looked nervous under the
stadium lights. I thought we were away for the first few minutes, as I didn’t
check the fixture list before the match, and then I saw the “Man Utd – Porto“ and realized we were at home.
Just the formation made me believe we were away; I mean no Tevez and Rooney? One striker, and really Rooney is becoming more like the AMC of Gerrard than a goal-line poacher. O’Shea and Evans had a horrible night; Evra and Vidic were mediocre. I really wanted O’Shea to come off at half-time and bring on Gary, but I guess he did play 90 minutes just 2 days before, and his legs aren’t what the used to be. These are the nights where having Wes Brown fit could have made the difference, as he is good in the air and solid.
Not to say that O’Shea isn’t the same qualities, but some times people have bad games, and the issue needs to be rectified. It appeared that Ferguson was not expecting a melt-down of this magnitude on the backline, although you would say judging by the past 5 games that it was somewhat likely. Galvanized by a European night? Hardly! It was very depressing for me to watch, and although I am always the eternal optimist that my team has earned in my mind over the years, even I am worried.
We need to go to Porto with two strikers up-front. I want to see Tevez and Rooney, and if we can’t pinch a goal to bring on Macheda for the last 20. Although it is a lot to ask of the boy, his confidence is sky-high and it might make all the difference in a team lacking that quality. It wasn’t just the defense, as Carrick and Scholes looked off pace and inconsistent. I would opt to leave Carrick in, but to swap Scholes for Giggs come Wednesday. We will need his invention, and it could make all the difference especially when it comes to corner kick delivery.
It sounds like Rio will not be back, nor Brown or Berbatov. Isn’t that just fantastic news? The only good news that I see over this insane 7 games in 20 day routine is that we will have two 4 day breaks between games this week. I need the boys to dig deep this Wednesday, I really want them to make it to the Final. The joy of the win last year was immense, but I believe that doing it twice is just a whole different level. This would be the only way to turn around the blip, winning the domestic is not what Ferguson or I want.
Bring back the passion, bring back the confidence. Bring Europe home.
Now as far as Macheda goes, he is known as “Kiko” on the training pitch at United. He is a new face that comes from Italy. He played for Lazio but due to the regulations on under-18’s and professional contracts, he was picked up by Manchester United. Of course this made the old “United buying up everything” lie that comes out when we get a player that plays well. So unlike Liverpool who bought someone for $30M (20M Pounds) and then sold them from $15M (11M Pounds) for a massive loss, and a few goals, that’s ok? Sounds like more Title Race Jealousy to me!
Either way, Macheda looks very good, and promising for our future. To see him out there with Danny Welbeck (yes, that’s right, a boy born in Manchester and brought through the ranks) was great and when you think that Rooney is 23, there is a nice triple set coming our way. Of course there are comments on the BBC about him being Italian, and how does the “future look good with non-English players”. Well lets point to the man who almost scored if it wasn’t for a good piece of goalkeeping from Friedel; Danny Welbeck. Everyone will always find the way to stick it to the Champions, and United are more than used to it.
I was going to put in a long blog on the state of International players in all leagues that matter, but I realized this would be quite long. And in that, it will appear tomorrow in its entirety. Stay tuned.
Much in the same vein of my last post, this was not a good weekend for the Devils. I don’t blame Paul Scholes for his handball, as it was an obvious knee-jerk (or arm-jerk) reaction. We saw the same thing with Ronaldo a while back (to which he got a red card…) where the player instinctively puts his hands up to protect his face. It’s an automatic; unfortunately; and he deserved to be sent off.
Rooney on the other-hand, although showing typical petulance in the face of adversity, probably did not deserve the sending off. I know most people would say “its dissent, which warrants a second yellow” but in the context, it was unnecessary. We’re 2-0 down; you’ve already sent of a United player early in the game; and Rooney throws a ball quickly back to the spot (although most obviously, aggressively) and you give him a second yellow? Could not a talking to have yielded the same result? No- of course not- we need to make sure United have 3 players banned for their next game?
Conspiracies aside, the performance was not good. I mean, putting it into perspective, how do we think Fulham (who are now 9th, one point off 7th) would have coped one man down in the 18th minute, away from home? And then to go a goal down from the subsequent penalty? Damage control anyone? So, of course, as we are United the expectations were for us to come storming back and take the game. In my opinion, it was never going to happen with Berbatov and Ronaldo as our strike force. Having one striker at Fulham seems a tactic built too much over control. United work best when we strike fast and furious, then control the game with our talent.
That being said, the overall performance was not up to par. We can’t go to teams in the top half and expect to walk all over them, and as Fulham’s home record suggests, the big four do this way too often. They play a physical game, they like to get stuck in and force mistakes. Against free-flowing teams this is the one tactic that works the best, as the flicks and quick through-ball passing gets subdued. Closing down and harassing the midfield was Fulham’s main charge. After Scholes was sent off, our midfield lost the battle, and never won it back.
Ronaldo was acting the boy for long periods, and seemed somewhat galvanized by Rooney’s typical drive force. It always makes you wonder why you’d bench Tevez and Rooney against a team they have dominated all season together, especially with the international break of two weeks around the corner. Were you resting Tevez and Rooney for Argentina and England respectively? Surely not Alex?
In the end all the fans can ask for is for United to bounce back. In many respects, that was supposed to be this game. This, however, is now absolutely impetuous to defeat Villa at home will be at an all time high, especially by a health margin. If not we now have no goal difference to rely on like last season. And with that being said, I expect us to grab hold and continue strong. This is a type cast of last season, only the #2 name has changed.
Lets hope that history does what it has always done… repeat itself.
Not a good night for the Devils at home. It wasn’t a poor match by United by any stretch of either fans imagination. Two penalties in the first half sum up how the game went. I think the referee was spot-on this match, although the red card was very debatable. As soon as Vidic sent off, the ensuing goal from the free-kick, and the way we had to push up, it was either we would get the equalizers or fall for another.
Vidic had a terrible game all in all, and I expect when he’s back from his 2 game ban, he will be much improved mentally.
Hiddink has come out to say the race is on, but its more just comments to keep the media going. Each paper has spun what he has said more than the truth, as BBC has kept its quotes more neutral. Some would have you believe Hiddink is up United preverbal backside, but I would say they are very much still of the belief that United will not be caught this season.
It is very unlikely for us to loose 3/10 games, especially that we have only lost 3 games this season (3/28) so straight statistics bets against it. The three we have lost are two losses to #2 (Liverpool), and one loss to #4 (Arsenal). The fixture list below has been broken into the rank, so we can see the odds better:
Home Team |
Away Team |
Date |
Fulham |
Man Utd |
March 21 |
Man Utd |
Aston Villa |
April 5 |
Sunderland |
Man Utd |
April 11 |
Wigan |
Man Utd |
April 19 |
Man Utd |
Portsmouth |
April 22 |
Man Utd |
Tottenham |
April 25 |
Middlesbrough |
Man Utd |
May 2 |
Man Utd |
Man City |
May 9 |
Man Utd |
Arsenal |
May 16 |
Hull |
Man Utd |
May 24 |
Judging by the table, 6/10 of our games are against below #10 teams (highlighted in red). We all know they are fighting for relegation, but there is a reason for that. They are inconsistent teams, whereas United have been proven champions. Also, we have an even number of home games; which on the usual nights is a huge advantage.
It appears most of the pundits are in agreement with what I’m writing, including Alan Hansen to name one. In the end the game of football is a wonderful thing, and anything can happen. Yet, I’d recommend not changing any of those bets of United winning a third on the trot.
However, when it comes to grit, determination, and success, there are no superiors to the Premier League, and that made all the difference. I read that Jose thought they had more chances, and didn’t take them, however with O’Shea’s chance as one example; we really should have buried more.
In the end, there was no contradictions or excuses to the touted possible “next in line” Mourinho. Instead he laid graces to Sir Alex and his Red Machine. He knew that they did not have the run of the pitch, and that on another night they might have won. I agree with all his sentiments and statements, as well as Ferguson’s ripping of his team’s lack of concentration.
I always tell myself to remain positive, as that is what a fan needs to do for his team. But I found them being wasteful, and arrogant, and did not like the style of play from about 20 minutes to 45 minutes. There were some points in the second half that were lax as well, but soon after the Rooney/Ronaldo combination goal, we looked reassured and very much in control.
In the end, we go the win, and that’s all that matters. However looking at the competition that will be coming up, we need to make sure we have the iron defense back in clad, or else a team like Barcelona or Bayern who are expert at taking chances could make us pay for our mistakes.
On to Saturday, for the tie we have all been waiting for… United v Liverpool.
At no point did I feel that United had Spurs in our pocket. It was contested to the last minute. In fact, if it wasn’t for the quick moves of Ben Foster in net, it would have been terrible for us in the first half. We looked confident for the first 20, but then faded out and let Spurs come in to the game. Lennon played very well for Spurs, and Ronaldo seemed to be the best of United.
In the end, when it went to penalties, I was very comfortable. Having Ben in net; knowing that Capello was in the stands, Van Der Sar was at the side lines, he could not help to have thought his chance was there for the taking. If he was able to keep them out, he would do no harm in cementing two #1 spots for the future in England and United. After reading about his iPod exploits with GK Coach and Van Der Sar, it shows why time after time United are finding ways to compete at the highest level.
Perhaps the largest reason of my confidence however was the penalty taker comparisons. No Englishmen in our line-up! Har har and all that, but considering O’Hara and Bentley both missed, its not that much of a wind-up, is it? O’Hara was upset, and I love to see that in the fact that he gives his all, and has true passion. He did strike a good penalty, but it was at the perfect height for someone with Ben Fosters build; and he is known on the grounds at United as the #1 shot stopper (over VDS and Kuszczak). Bentleys was just terrible, and from what I’ve read VDS told Foster to just look intimidating and large and it seemed to do enough to put the young English international off.
Enough of the CC Final, it was quite good, good to see Ronaldo really relishing the victory, despite it being lowest on our list. He has great appetite, which is great to see after 120 minutes of football. He must have been happy to not be digging his face into the turf as per 08 CL final penalty miss! Now on to Newcastle, where we became rather unstuck.
It seems to me that whenever we play NW teams they give us a right run for our money. I like it; it sharpens the old sword, and gets us ready for the challenges ahead. Newcastle played quite well, and for once, a team used counter-attack on us which showed to be affective. Hopefully Jose missed this game (for inter mid week…). Rooney has a spectacular game, and his first goal was just inspirational. The turn to beat his man, and instant cracker was always destined for the back of the net.
The second goal was influential from his long ball pass while playing as a auxiliary centre half, and from a badly timed chest pass from Taylor (who Ronaldo must have loved to see after Taylors forearm smack on Ronnie’s face…) and Park was on it to knock it to Berbatov. It was a great piece of play, but more fortuitous than anything else.
And as I end this page, I’d like to point out that Park is a fantastic player. His hard work and audacity was tremendous against Newcastle, and he is the exact type of player United need against Inter on Wednesday. I hope he plays, and I presume the lineup against Fulham will be with Nani rather than Park. Tevez will get his go against another EPL team, and perhaps will get to raise another Trophy while playing on the pitch in the FA Cup. He must feel a little bit upset that his chances of lifting the CL trophy are much less than Rooney and Berbatov, but so be the pecking order right now; and it forces everyone to stay on their toes.
To the weekend, we go!
Firstly, much has been made of Nemanja Vidic and his own recent form. I am one to agree that he has become an integral part of the team, and much of our success in the defensive department can be firmly placed in his court. However, I have seen comments made by certain BBC Pundits that said that Vidic has influenced and made Rio Ferdinand a better player. Now, of course, this is more than likely true, however I believe the opposite is where the real knowledge transfer resides.
Rio Ferdinand had an absolutely perfect season in 07/08. He was a tower at the back, gained every ball, made the key tackles, and was in my opinion the best centre back in the world. The debacle of John Terry receiving the European Defender award was a crock; especially considering he missed the penalty in the final. John Terry is a great defender, but even John himself admitted that Rio was in such form in 07/08 that he could not emulate it again (in an August interview when speaking back to Fergie’s “Chelsea pensioners” comments).
Unfortunately for JT their form only got better, and was able to beat Chelsea’s fortress record of 11 games without conceding. Unfortunately for United it was against a Northwest team (I should have guessed) that we lost the streak, but 14 games without conceding is a record that will stay for a long time in the most competitive league in the world.
Now you’ll notice not much was said of Vidic for 06/07 as he had just started. He looked promising, but made mistakes. To have your partner have such a break-out form, only drives you forward. To come to a new country, with a new league, you look to the senior players to help you adjust. That is where Rio has sculpted Vidic into becoming the colossus that he is today. I’m sure if anyone were to ask him who (other than Fergie) played into helping him be the favorite in the betting for EPL Player of the Year for 08/09, he would say Rio.
Patrice Evra is undoubtedly the best left back in the world. Not many would argue this, and I’m not just being a fan. His ball control and pace are perfection itself. The one thing that he beats Cole in (I watch EPL, that is my world, so accept it), is that he crosses much better. He makes more runs to the by-line. He beats out Boswinga by one, plucking his freaking eyebrows, and two by defending. He makes crucial tackles, and there are very few that win the run against him. Now O’Shea is a great fill-in, as he is so versatile, yet he is never going to claim any accolades, unfortunately. Fabio is the obvious up-and-comer but hasn’t played enough to be judged.
On the right we are developing Rafael, Fabio’s twin, and I have to say I am very excited. He looks tremendous, just imagine Evra and Rafael (when he has a few EPL years under his belt)… it will be AWESOME. He has pace, control, and an attacking mindset. Where he is currently falling short is the grit, tackling, and defensive mentality. However, when we want those three things, we have two of the best in that department in Gary Neville and Wes Brown. These are our rocks that we throw at the faces of our opposition. And they come in with a sickening “crunch”. Brown should be nicknamed the wall, as when he takes the ball, he takes the man, and the fall flat on the ground as if brick met flesh. Neville is smaller, and not quite as solid, but tackles with such venom, it scares me. I am buying a Neville shirt next season, as I feel he will be gone after it, and I believe that is nuff said as I only by shirts of the best.
Now enough of the defense and moving onto our midfields form. What I personally have loved the most is Ryan Giggs. His form for this season is unprecedented (for him) in the past two years at least. To say saving the best for last would do a legend of his status no justice, as he had many great years as winger. Yet the way he has transitioned into the central midfield, and in recent months it appears he has even moved Paul Scholes to the bench, it by no means, exceptional. Anyone who plays the game knows the difference between being a winger and central midfielder… just get Ronaldo to race Carrick and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
His rich passing, movement, and vision are only matched by one other player, and that is Rooney. And Rooney still has much to learn; especially from the other side that makes Giggs such a great. His professionalism. Never can I remember Giggs losing his rag and stamping on someone… perhaps you’d say that is a negative as it is Rooney’s passion that makes him great. I’d disagree in that there are many players that have the passion, but do not get sent off because of it. I’ll be the first to say Rooney has come a long way from the child he was in the World Cup, but he some long way off emulating the professionalism shown by Giggs both on and off the pitch.
I wanted to add a little slip-in about Hargreaves. The Calgary born Englishman is so solid, and inspirational, that you CAN notice the difference when he is not on. The future is Carrick and Hargreaves for MU (with Anderson, and ??? coming in after). I hope beyond hope for both England and MU that he gets over this tendinitis plague that he has had surgery for, and gets back to his best. Portugal v England 2006 anyone? MAN OF THE MATCH. In fact, only MAN OF THE MATCH in my opinion. After that, never did a tabloid or English person question the abilities or validity of Owen Hargreaves. He was immense, and the public noticed.
Of course Paul Scholes is still the inspiration he has always been for the players. His cross-ball passing is unsurpassed by anyone on the pitch. Michael Carrick is playing the season of his life, and perhaps the only one in the team that has truly pushed past the “best season” stigma of 07/08. Fletcher, Anderson, Gibson, and the others work very hard when they are called on, and as a spectator I hardly notice the difference in form. The wings are patrolled by Park; an audacious, Asian-Manc that has the work ethic of five shire horses; Nani, who I feel should be sold for a clown, as I do not rate him, and feel he is a liability; Tosic the new signing from Serbia, looks great, and I can’t wait for him to push a certain Portuguese winger of the spot kicks…; and of course the latter… the adequately named “Gelled-tumbler” by Robbo.
Ronaldo deserves a paragraph of his own. I will not use the word “hate” about Ronaldo, but I certainly typed it many times before deleting it in this blog. When Rooney got sent off (see above) in the World Cup, I truly hated Ronaldo. I was like 90% of the MU fans: Get him out. Rooney is dedicated; he will have a tattoo off our crest on him eventually (just like the three lion’s one he has). He supported us as a lad, shrugged of his hometown, and plays with so much passion you can feel it in your own chest. So when I see a flamboyant Portuguese player trying to get his teammate sent off, I was furious.
Yet, strangely enough, Rooney was the one who changed our minds. Many of the tabloids spouted that it was a rift to far, that one had to go, and it should be the tumbler. Yet Rooney, the one who was at the blunt of the problem (and he gave Ronaldo a good shove in the game when he saw the card gesture), came out to say that Ronaldo did what he should do. Play for the crest on your chest, not the crest on your shirt back in Manchester. Rooney, not long after, came out and said (and I quote from Ryan memory…) “my mate is the best footballer in the world”… to which most of us thought who the hell is his mate. He was speaking about Ronaldo.
Now if you are like me, a MU fan who watches every game (including pre-season) to a disgusting regularity you would see that these two are one of the best attacking partnerships ever. The look for each other all over the pitch, almost to an irritating degree, as the open pass will be there, and you’ll see Ronaldo cross it 30 yards to Rooney… yet you have to admire it. They also run to each other when they score, and they generally want each other to excel. I’m sure if you asked Ronnie who he wants to win the next FIFA WPOTY he would say Rooney. Perhaps we all know that Rooney is too much of a hard-worker to get this prestige, but the comradely suggests that statement to be true.
Now enough about Ronaldo, we all know he is the best winger in the world, he is fantastic, and if he had the drive of Rooney and the professionalism of Giggs, and take Portugal to a WC win, he would be the #2 easily pushing Maradona to third. Yet, he isn’t, and won’t, so he remains somewhere in the top 10 (In case you were wondering, Pele is still #1). Moving on to the attack, we have Rooney, who made his way into midfield and defense, which basically sums him up! Tevez, Berbatov, and a few young guns Campbell and Welbeck. The young guns look promising, and I’d say Welbeck has the edge over Campbell, as his shooting and composure look much tighter.
Rooney is the wonder-kid/boy/man, whatever. He epitomizes the English game, and I’m very proud he is on our team. When we signed Rooney, then Hargreaves last year, I couldn’t believe my luck. It was the two signings I had hoped for, and Fergie got them both. I don’t need to go on about Rooney, he speaks for himself. He will be the captain of MU in a few years and the captain of England as well. On to the other great signing that I craved for, Berbatov.
His “lax-a-daisy” way of playing gets some people upset, and true-true we usually want the hard-working never-say-die attitude of Tevez and Rooney in a MU striker. However, was Cantona any different? I would say Cantona had more pace, but he played the same way. He was a talisman, he was the guy you through the ball into ran into space, and suddenly there the ball was… on your foot! His vision, passing, control, is superb. I have already noticed him rubbing off on Rooney’s one touch football. He is like ping pong on the pitch, its delightful. We have enough hard-edge in our attacking line-up, he adds the languid well-thought out delivery that we need.
Now on to Tevez. I hope we sign him. My brother thinks he isn’t worth $30M and true to that, he may not be. Yet this isn’t my money, and we made $30M in the Champions League alone, not to mention the FA/Carling/League money… lets put it to good use! The Glazers don’t need another limo, we need Tevez. He has dogged determination, he gets in the face of everyone, he has pace, the sweet Argentinean ball control, and above all fits nicely with the rest of the team. I really, really, hope we sign him. If we don’t, he’ll come back to bite us hard in the ass.
And on that, the final part of the equation for our recent form falls firmly in the lap of Sir Alex Ferguson. For all the idiots who claimed he lost the plot during the 05/06 season. To all the haters who say he “controls the refs” or whatever “FACTS” Rafa wants to spout. In the end, that is what great managers do; they put pressure on referees, they riel other managers in press-conferences, and they then let their players do the talking. SAF has been doing this for decades, and he only gets better. Do you think Jose doesn’t watch SAF’s press conferences, and gives a tip of his glass to the TV? Of course he does. They are both master chess-men, and enjoy the art.
SAF is the ultimate colossus of football. He will never be surpassed, and no-one will ever claim as many prizes for one club than him. Unfortunately, that is the way of football these days.
Yet the scariest part of this form, and the amazing team that he has collected, is WHO THE HELL CAN REPLACE HIM? Yes, Jose is up there, but he has already spoken about returning to Chelski. He has a special place for that club… yet I think he admires MU more than any other club. The biggest reason being the way the club is built; it is built to give authoritarian power to the man on the throne. This was carved by SAF, and it is waiting for someone worthy to step in place.
I am nervous about when SAF will step down. Yet one thing is for sure, I am already saving for his inaugural bow-out from the game he dominated for over 25 years.
Good-day and good-night.
