Nov 08
Chelsea v Man Utd: Preview
This has been billed as win or bust by a lot of people — especially United fans. Not since the era of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea (at their peak) have we gone into a match against Chelsea with the billing of underdogs. And for good reason.
Most fans — as is their wont as fans — hope their side will come good somehow against Chelsea. But rational thinking paints a grim picture. Chelsea, have been good for most of this season — even though they’ve faced reverses against some of the smaller sides. Their transfer ban has been lifted for January, yet theirs is a side showered with riches in midfield, and a frighteningly good Drogba, in frighteningly good form. As much as most of their squad consist of eminently detestable players, they have been annoyingly hard to beat. An astonishing statistic that screams out reads: six years; zero wins for United at the Bridge. Six years! Bloody hell! That’s astonishing and annoying in equal measure.
Among the key players for today’s outing includes one Darren Fletcher, who’s spoken at length about his fitness and gym work in the pre-season:
“Fitness has never been a problem for me, but in terms of strength and power my gym work has made a real difference.
“Striking the right balance is important, too. There’d be no point in me bulking up if that was to the detriment of being able to get around the pitch. I wanted to get to a level where I had strength, but also the stamina to keep going over the 90 minutes. I think I could still put on more weight without affecting my fitness.”
Speaking of our six year drought there, Ferguson has a few words to say:
“We would like to improve our record there. It’s not been that great in the last few years. We’ve had a couple of draws but nothing more than that. We hope to improve on that. It’s strange, we used to have a terrific record at Stamford Bridge, but in the last few years we’ve let it slip. We have to get our act together. But the players realise it’s a big game and that their performance is going to be important.”
The topic veers into discussion on Carlo Ancelotti and the manager has only good things to say about him. “Ancelotti has a very experienced team,” continues Sir Alex. “And when you have that it’s maybe easier to adapt to new tactics or a new system because those players have more tactical knowledge than younger players.”
On the injury front, Vidic and Berbatov are expected to return, whilst Park, Ferdinand, and Owen Hargreaves continue to be perennial absentees. Neville, meanwhile, is suspended.
The starting XI, should then be a patched up back four with O’Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra. Giggs, Anderson, Fletcher could form a midfield three with the attack consisting of Rooney (played out wide left), Valencia and Berbatov in the front three.
Of course, that’s just what I think Ferguson might be fielding. He’ll most likely go with a 4-3-3 to counter Chelsea.
Prediction: 1-1
Related items from Red Rants:
- Porto it is then…
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Chelsea v Man Utd: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
Tags: Game Preview
November 8th, 2009 at 8:59
If you can’t watch this game in pub or tv you can try Chelsea FC vs United live streams. The will be available 10 – 15 before match starts!
November 8th, 2009 at 9:45
Chelski are very very strong this year, I think we are 1 player away from being top dog and that is a hard as nails midfielder like keano or robbo someone who won’t let our boys be bullied on the pitch scholsey is class and fletch is good but we need an inspiration on the field when times are tough in the centre to drive the boys. Would be very happy with a draw today
November 8th, 2009 at 10:03
I reckon who we have on the bench should be interesting. Let’s hope we r bold and both welbeck and macheda make it. We shall see anyway…..
November 8th, 2009 at 10:28
We are gonna have to fight. Battle, go in to this game with a Roy Keane attitude, dont fear those blue lads. Fight, fight, fight!!! We may lose, alright. Chelseas team are superior to ours on paper, its ridiculous to deny that. BUT, even if we lose I wont be as sad if I see us going down fighting. If we lose playing chicken shit football, trying to defend for 90 minutes just waiting on counters that will never come, Im gonna be discusted.
About the team, Im only gonna say this. If Anderson and Fletcher is playing as our midfielders, we will not lose this game. Im certain of that! Any other pairing, whether it be Scholes and Fletcher or Carrick and Anderson, we will lose. We may even be embarrased! So I really hope Fergie gets the midfield right, its gonna be vital! And may the ref not try to grab the headlines and have a good game.
Go out there fighting. Do that and we may get a result. Play like cowards and this will be a really, really long day…
November 8th, 2009 at 12:27
A draw is a bit of an ambitious prediction. Our squad is struggling with injuries and fitness. Our midfield got creamed by a Liverpool midfield of Lucas and Mascherona. So I hardly think we will fair much better against the riches in Chelsea’s central midfield. Our best hope is that Giggs and Fletcher have absolute stormers and our defence somehow avoids the bloopers of the preceding weeks!
November 8th, 2009 at 12:27
Hey not sure if anyone else here has heard of this, one of my mates sent me this link for streaming games:
1st link is the forum which tells you how to use & what to download (mac or pc);
2nd link is a TV guide so you can see what channel the game your
looking for is playing on….
enjoy
http://www.myp2pforum.eu/live-tv/41045-british-tv.html
http://www.itv.com/TVGuide/default.html
November 8th, 2009 at 12:36
Barca are preparing a 85 million bid for Rooney…..
November 8th, 2009 at 12:52
Make a miracle!
November 8th, 2009 at 13:29
I agree Eddy , Ando and Fletch in the middle.
The main weakness of the diamond formation is of course the lack of width – not exploiting that would be nuts.. two proper wingers please Sir Alex.
November 8th, 2009 at 13:47
like alot of other Reds, i’m not feeling too confident today. This could be worse than the CL final! we’ll see how our big game players perform, but i’m really looking for the Fergie factor for a minor miracle! : (
November 8th, 2009 at 13:51
We can win this. Much depends on Rooney and Nani (if he plays). If they have a good game, United will do well. Fletcher must start (and finish the game) and after last season’s masterclass of a performance against Chelsea, Giggs could be in there as well.
There are two things to keep in mind:
a) when Chelsea are good, they are great, when they are not good, they get spanked by Wigan.
b) form, injuries, etc. say nothing about these games – look back a couple of weeks.
November 8th, 2009 at 13:56
we will definately win with great performances from Andy and Nani
November 8th, 2009 at 13:58
Just take Lampard out of the game and cut supply to Dogba…For last 20 min,bring me and will win 1-0
November 8th, 2009 at 14:21
@owen:
November 8th, 2009 at 14:24
Unless we have a miracle performance, i can see nothing more then a united draw. And thats if lady luck is on our side(and lets face it, bar a few last minute goals, shes been batting for the other side).
November 8th, 2009 at 15:41
Mame Biram Diouf is killing in the Norwegian Cup Final!
2-1 to Molde at the moment, Diof scoring the 2-1 goal 4 minutes into extra time. Currently 111 minutes played…
November 8th, 2009 at 15:45
Ive been listening to “Make a Miracle” all day, really pumps me up for the game! Hope our lads can truly make a miracle today, to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time in seven years. Im worried, but this tune certanly makes me more up for it and I really hope our lads make us proud. Especially you Wayne, make little Kai proud and rock the baby!
November 8th, 2009 at 15:45
2-2…
November 8th, 2009 at 15:49
Nani and Diouf celebrate the same way!!!
More summersaults arriving in January then! 
November 8th, 2009 at 15:51
Penalty shootout, lets see how Mame handles pressure…
November 8th, 2009 at 16:08
Prediction: 2-2
November 8th, 2009 at 16:10
Brown and Evans start at CB.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:12
VDS
Oshea Brown Evans Evra
Fletch Carrick Ando
Valencia Rooney Giggs
November 8th, 2009 at 16:13
@Traverse
SERIOUSLY?!
November 8th, 2009 at 16:13
VDS
O’Shea
Brown
Evans
Evra
Fletcher
Carrick
Anderson
Rooney
Giggs
Valencia
Vidic, Owen, Scholes, Fabio, Obertan, Gibson, Kusczak
November 8th, 2009 at 16:14
2 – 1
November 8th, 2009 at 16:15
Van Der Sar
O’Shea
Brown
Evans
Evra
Fletcher
Carrick
Anderson
Valencia
Rooney
Giggs
SUBS: Kuszczak, Vidic, Owen, Scholes, Fabio, Gibson, Obertan
Fergie doing his best rafa impression with vidic.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:15
@RedTan: To chelsea yea.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:17
This may prove to be a long, long afternoon….
November 8th, 2009 at 16:19
@Footy4Eddy: I see you’ve given up hope like the rest of us.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:20
i thought berbatov was fit
November 8th, 2009 at 16:20
Why the fuck isnt Vidic starting?! With what Wes performed in midweek, Im really worried now.
Drogba in top form, Chelsea in top form, Wes out of form and Oshea. For fucks sake, Oshea!? 
Anderson, Fletcher and Rooney will have to be absolutely brilliant today, anything else will mean a United loss. Come on United!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 16:21
@Footy4Eddy: not if we stick to the basics: VIIIIIKIIIIIING FOOOTBAAAAAAL!
Raze their defense, pillage their goal, and destroy their attack.
No mercy!
Viking Football!
November 8th, 2009 at 16:24
@Dan: So berbatov is injured?
Nani not even on the bench (he is gone in january) 
November 8th, 2009 at 16:25
@Dan
Ive not given up mate, I will never give up. Its United we talk about, its never over. Certanly not before a game has even started! But its gonna be much more difficult without Vida, much, much more difficult.
But I still think we will win. Anderson, Fletcher and Rooney will have to be up for this game, and if they are we will win. I really BELIEVE it. 
November 8th, 2009 at 16:27
I am already counting this as a loss, it is easier to say it than experiencing it.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:30
Now…
KILL THEM!!!
No fucking pussy football! No fucking pretty shit! No fucking “soft” play! Play hard, play brave, play like mad men, PLAY LIKE YOU ARE POSESSED BY THE DEVIL!!! Manchester United, you play for the club. Now prove that you actually deserve it, prove that you are worthy, prove that we still are a force to be counted with. Go out there and make a miracle! CRUSH THEM!!! 
I`d rather die like a man than live like a coward!
November 8th, 2009 at 16:34
No Berba… ouch. The sinking feeling I have just multiplied tenfold. I would be very happy with a 0-0 draw to be honest, very happy.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:36
@Footy4Eddy: I’d fellate a smurf if it meant not dying…
November 8th, 2009 at 16:38
We are gonna win this. Just be brave!
November 8th, 2009 at 16:42
@Footy4Eddy: I admire your optimism.
November 8th, 2009 at 16:51
Thats the best squad we could put out. Vidic obviously isnt 100% fit. Anderson and fletch will to work. We could get something out of the game
November 8th, 2009 at 16:57
Carrick will proove vital today
November 8th, 2009 at 16:59
COME ON UNITED!!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:10
United fans outsinging the chavs easily here!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:12
NOT OFFSIDE!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:18
PENALTY!!!
Shoulder charge from Terry!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:23
Good strike from Valencia there.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:24
united are looking good… valencia should have played oshea in…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:25
isnt anderson playing much ahead… is he given a CAM position today… or is he marking essien…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:27
cheap free kick conceded by oshea… done in by anelka…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:29
no doubt… fergie is playing anderson in hole… will it work?? seems like making the midfield little lightweight…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:30
again a cheap free kick… drogba is falling all over the pitch…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:31
Didier Dogshite dives again……..
November 8th, 2009 at 17:32
oooooooooohhhh Giggsy!!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:33
GIGGS… thats a chance gone begging….
November 8th, 2009 at 17:33
Boy would I love to have my countryman Essien in our Squad………
November 8th, 2009 at 17:36
Anelka is looking main threat today
November 8th, 2009 at 17:37
Good saves from me there.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:39
Great chance ruined by Giggs
November 8th, 2009 at 17:39
Damnnnnn!! Giggsy’s touch was just too heavy there!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:39
Rooney too selfish
November 8th, 2009 at 17:42
Take Giggs out and bring Obertan
November 8th, 2009 at 17:43
I hate no one more than John Terry in this world
November 8th, 2009 at 17:44
Didnt stop play when Evra got taken out did ya?
The CUNT Ashley Cole wanting a freekick for HIS foul on HIS teammate. Ridiculous.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:45
ooooh… i am going to have a heart attack…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:47
Excellent build up play there.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:51
we played well but we have to use the chances…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:51
HT
I think we have played well,
Build up play has been excellent,
As usual we lack the finish.
I just hope that the Chelsea defence doesnt become water tight all of the sudden.
Just need to keep this up!
November 8th, 2009 at 17:56
To whoever mentioned Anderson’s positioning I believe you’re right on both counts. He’s clearly been asked to pressurise Chelsea’s deep lying midfielder (Essien or whoever fills the gap when Essien goes forward). But as he’s that far forward when we don’t have the ball it means he is able to push on to support Rooney when we do get the ball.
The 4-5-1 formation only works when the midfield are quick to join the attack and that’s exactly what Andy’s been doing (Giggs to to an extent).
Half-Time impressions -
Reminds me of the Boxing last night. Two heavy weights sizing each other up, standing off, all the while looking for a chink in the armour. If United continue to push deep into Chelsea’s midfield and we defend well then there’s no reason why we can’t win this.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:57
Patrice evra the best player in 1st half.well played.came forward a lot,hold the ball upfront and defended good
November 8th, 2009 at 17:57
Every chance to win!
Even game. We can defo win!
Just make a bit better decisions and we should have better chances… Rooney should have passed to ando, giggs should have hit the target.
Eddy: I predict, Ando to score!
See you after the game.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:58
this team needs to pick up on anderson’s runs, he has been great this half, really conserving his energy and playing to the temp, which is what grognard moans about that anderson does not know how to slow his game down, he’s been marking essien pretty well i must say,
work the ball into the box, chelsea are not picking up on our runs, defence is too static, a few times a killer pass has killed them one of them an offside which was dubious, the other giggs overhit the chip
November 8th, 2009 at 17:58
Really good half from us. We were by far the better team, though they probabyl had the better chances. Looks more like we’re the home team, and they’re playing on the counter. Say what you will about SAF, but so far his tactics are spot on.
Giggsy is having another of his poor games. Somedays he’s magic, but today he’s been massively wasteful. Obertan…?
November 8th, 2009 at 17:59
Giggs has been poor, giving ball away cheaply… Rooney’s been a bit selfish… Otherwise we didn’t do that bad…
November 8th, 2009 at 17:59
I like Andersons movement so far. He is definately trying to play attacking football, he seemed a little frustrated because no one is seeing what he is seeing. Having said that, our play in the final 3rd has been wanting thus far.
November 8th, 2009 at 17:59
Valencia has been disappoining too. Not involved enough, as the play was always leaning to the left.
Plus we all know that O’shea offensively is quite limited..
November 8th, 2009 at 18:02
Playing five in the midfield is doing good.. We have been the much better team .. Defensively both Brown and Evans are doing very good.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:02
from BBC:
“Don’t be fooled by the scoreline – it’s a really entertaining game at Stamford Bridge and probably only lacking a goal or two. United are the better team, and Darren Fletcher is their best player“
I agree with this. Evra has been been great too.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:04
Whoa!! Good game this, end to end stuff!! We’re doing a good job pressing chelski’s midfield but we need to be more clinical with our chances as we might not get many…
I might consider taking of giggs and putting on Obertan.. what y’all reckon?
November 8th, 2009 at 18:05
@Gabriel: Keep giggs on. Wait for Ancelotti to make first move, then counter it. This team can beat chelsea.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:06
Take Giggs out ,Bring Owen and go for the kill…we want 3 points ,nothing less
November 8th, 2009 at 18:07
COME ON UNITED!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:07
@owen: Although I can appreciate your enthusiasm towards attacking football, it’s the central midfield 3 that is the reason why we’re bossing this, if we took out Giggs and put on Owen then we’d lose our initiative.
That said, with 20 minutes remaining at 0-0 then definitely put on Owen and see what he can do.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:09
we have miss so much from long ranges…wish Ronaldo would have been here
November 8th, 2009 at 18:10
I have to say that despite the score line and the surprisingly strong play by our team Fergie got the team selection and tactics dead perfect. I knew we had to stack the center of midfield and play 4-5-1 and I knew we would have to play Rooney up front and alone. Other than Vidic not starting, the squad selection is exactly as I expected. Now if only we could find referees and linesman that weren’t blinded by Fergie hatred.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:11
Good start….
Can we have this throughout the game please!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:13
Drogba is the best friend of Refree…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:13
oh no…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:14
phew!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:18
need to cross LOW! Come on!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:24
COME ON UNITED!!!
KEEP THIS UP!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:24
giggs is frustrating today… but crosses should be low and hard!!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:28
OH MY GOD! SO CLOSE. Bring it home guys!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:28
OH MY GOD ROONEY!!!
So unlucky!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:29
Rooney! Rooney! Rooney!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:29
fuck me, this is more like rooney, two brilliant efforts, COME ON YOU REDS
November 8th, 2009 at 18:31
That was almost the goal of the year.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:31
Andersson has such potential if he could only cross and pass with better ability. We are on top and need to score!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:32
come on…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:33
fucking love you evans, nice challange on drogba
November 8th, 2009 at 18:33
Kung Fu Evans!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:34
The defender was three yards away when Rooney touched that free kick on to Valencia. JEEZ, what do we have to do to get competent refs in this league?
November 8th, 2009 at 18:34
Drogshite you wanking fucktard.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:36
@Grognard: Fire the oldies. Hire young foreign talented referees. “They took mah job!”
November 8th, 2009 at 18:37
ref has lost the game…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:37
Johny Evans is my man
But i think he may target his head!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:37
fkrgfdcfgh!!!!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:37
typical, against the run of the play
November 8th, 2009 at 18:38
THE REFEREE IS A BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:38
refereeing is disgrace! utterly disgraceful!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:39
OH FUCK RIGHT OFF!!!
THAT WAS NOT A FREEKICK!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:40
If there is any justice in this fucking world……
we will win.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:42
Please tell me somebody why there has not been a second striker brought in the game now that we are 1-0 down?
November 8th, 2009 at 18:43
@Grognard: doble sub coming on soon – owen and obertan.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:43
for anderson and giggs
November 8th, 2009 at 18:44
WHAT A LOAD OF FUCKING CHEATS!!!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:44
@Grognard: They are coming on.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:44
@Grognard: you are going to get your wish now, but this referee has been an absolute joke,
November 8th, 2009 at 18:44
games has been stopped for 3 mins since carvalho fouled rooney!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:44
How in Gods name can you give Carvalho a yellow card when you never even called his infraction a foul? It was but the ref let play go on and then Evans fouled Carvalho to get his yellow. This is ridiculous reffing.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:45
Whatever the result we can take soooo much from this game. We are definetely in the running for this title and Ferguson is a master tactician and motivator. We OWNED Chelski today on their home ground
November 8th, 2009 at 18:45
Remember what i sad about lady luck?
November 8th, 2009 at 18:45
OH come on Valencia!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:47
owen…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:48
@Dan: lady luck = ref + bribes
November 8th, 2009 at 18:50
we are making really stupid decisions… passing and shooting!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:53
And it is title dream over for Liverfools
November 8th, 2009 at 18:53
lets shoot and hit the goalkeeper at least. enough of this… can they score…they always score!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 18:54
…
November 8th, 2009 at 18:57
FT
Fucking ridiculous.
Hold your heads up high lads, we played well, deserved to win.
November 8th, 2009 at 18:58
wow why dont you lift the cup while you are at it, they partying like its may
November 8th, 2009 at 18:58
Bullshit! Horse manure! I HATE losing when we could have won!
Ref blows. Introduce technology.
Our own mistake was: Crossing was too high — we have midget strikers… why cross high???? Cross low!!
I am furious…
November 8th, 2009 at 19:04
The ref should be fined for such performance.
The world cup will be the last time we see 1 ref on the field – trust me. They are sooo incompetent!
5 min added time is not enough.
2-3 minutes Drogba kicked by Evans
2-3 minutes carvalho/rooney/evans incidient in 80th minute
5 substitutions.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:04
I liked our midfield today, hopefully fergie will stick with it. Carrick didn’t really impress me but he was alright. Anderson looked good the first half but faded as he always does in the second. I wonder if he just loses focuse in the dressing room? Cause he has real problems in sustaining his performance over 2 halfs
November 8th, 2009 at 19:05
This Christmas, don’t forget to buy your child the new Chelsea referees kit.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:07
For a person who was predicting a big Chelsea victory, I must say i was shocked and pleasantly surprised at how well the team responded and played. They were heroes out there today and they were not done in by a better team. Far from it, they were done in by the most incompetent refereeing I have seen in decades. Absolutely diabolical and criminal. And to add salt to the wound Chelsea take a full minute to sub in Alex in injury time. Do we even get the expected extra 30 seconds of playing time? NO. Drogba is a cheating little cunt who should be carved up like Julius Caesar by a dozen due hard United fans for his cheating foul on Wes Brown in the box. Dirty filthy little cunt.
Just too upset to comment more mates. Kudos to the lads for playing hard and like warriors. If we ever needed to see a game to define our heart and our passion, this is the one. What a performance and what grit, desire and total leadership from Darren Fletcher. That man should be the captain of this side. He was Roy Keane today without being dirty. I’m sick at the result but I can say that today the club showed me a lot of heart and desire and yes they are missing the skill players that make the difference, but that can and hopefully will be taken care of. Martin Arkinson is nothing more than a criminal and Chelsea’s twelfth man.
The foul call on Fletcher that gave the Blue’s the free kick where they scored on was not a foul. It was a clean steal by Fletcher. My God, this game just leaves me so upset. There is no justice in this game as long as a league has muppets for referees and as long as they hold a personal grudge against Fergie. And as for Chelsea, a bunch of cheating cunts who act like girls and who play act and retaliate like children. And they get away with it. FUCKING NUTS.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:07
Fuck this shit!!! For all you guys believing United would lose, take a look at the game! We were by far the superior team! If not for some bad luck and inept refereeing we could have easily won this game. With Berba and Vidic out as well. Fucks sake, we played so well.
Everything went to plan.
But Im not too sad, we lost but we were the better team. We played brave and good football. Really impressed. Today, we died like men…
November 8th, 2009 at 19:09
That was a fantastic performance by the team. I think only tactical mistake was not bringing on Obertan earlier. Giggs was wasteful today.
Ref absolutely blew it. Terrible call to give Drogba a yellow but, Terry pulls down Valencia by the shirt – no penalty. Lampard has both hands on Valencia pushing him out, no foul. Lampard throws his hands up in the air to block a cross, no penalty as it clearly goes off his arm. Fletcher takes ball, gets called for a foul, Brown getting pulled down in the penalty area, no foul. Disgraceful shit.
I am just proud to be a United fan at the moment though. We really gave them a fight on their patch even with everything against us. Now the important thing is not to drop any points from here on out.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:11
Chelsea/United
Possession: 51/49
Shots: 12/21
SOnG: 9/10
SOffG: 3/11
Corners: 0/7
We deserved to win.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:12
That ref was a fuckin joke
fletch played your heart out
well done jonny you should have knocked his head off
hold your heads up reds we will take a lot from this game just watch
November 8th, 2009 at 19:14
Referee was poor but he could have also sent Evans off for his kung fu kick, so I’m not going to blame him for the defeat.
But why Valencia, and to a lesser level, Giggs stayed on for so long I can’t understand. Once again Obertan came on and brought positive impulse on his wing.
Valencia was extremely disappointing tonight. Not involved in the first half and no end product in the second.
All in all the result is quite unfair as we would have deserve the draw at least..
November 8th, 2009 at 19:14
Encouraging game despite the defeat. We really didn’t deserve that. The conclusion has to be that either we are underrated or Chelsea vastly overrated. The truth is as always someway in the between. Anyway tweaking rather than wholesale changes is seemingly what we need to challenge for the usual top prizes. A better contribution from Giggs and Valencia would have seen us comfortable winners today.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:15
I can’t decide if it was the defeat or Terry’s shit eating grin that annoyed me more. Twat!
November 8th, 2009 at 19:26
The Good:
We equalled Chelsea in every department
We surpassed chelsea in many areas
We bossed the midfield – Lampard, Ballack, Deco, and Essien were quiet all game
Rooney is back!
Fletcher is immense (playing injured too)
Ando has a future with us (just needs to improve technically)
Evans > Ferdinand
Evra is world class
The Bad:
Corners and Crossing are poor
Lack creativity in final third
Need to hit target more often
Giggs was rusty after his 2 weeks off
The Ugly
Drogba
Need quality RB
Need quality LM
November 8th, 2009 at 19:27
A good performance against a strong Chelsea side – still, as hyped as these big four games are, the EPL is won away at Wigan and Sunderland. I thought Fletcher had a decent game and VDS recovered from a pretty shaky game midweek.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:28
@Grognard: You have just admitted that our team is as world-class as chelsea’s, no?
November 8th, 2009 at 19:29
Yeah really pleased with the performance. As much faith as I had in a 442 in the offseason, the 433 looked a million times better today.
I don’t want to talk about the ref, but it can’t be doubted that he was the match winner. So congrats for that Mr. Atkinson.
Anderson looked great, Fletch and Carrick worked really well behind him and our defence was solid. Rooney led the line well, and had Giggsy not had a mare we’d of probably won.
Anyway, Chelsea were always favourits for the league this year, I’m still happy with our showing. Unfortunate that we now have a break really…
November 8th, 2009 at 19:30
Also someone needs to punish Didier Drogba for his playacting. At one point he feigned a fit. As someone that has a seriously epileptic friend and having been through them, I find that thoroughly offensive.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:31
@[OPTI]Madschester United:
It wasn’t the fact that it was one ref on the pitch, it was the that he was incompetent.
This is by far some of the most inconsistent, poor refereeing i have ever seen. The most despicable was when Terry got the wind knocked out of him and Chelsea played on but when we got the ball Atkinson blew the whistle…Then, yellow carding random people. (I would have said the same had we won/drawn) We deserved to win. Hopefully, we’ll be lifted by this display on go on a run of a couple of wins.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:34
If Chelsea is the best team in Europe,then Phil Brown is the best manager in world…
November 8th, 2009 at 19:34
@Lars: This is NOT the worst refereeing this season. This season, the refs have been incompetent and inconsistent all over the EPL.
Offside calls and goals should be reviewed post-faktum (that is, let the game run its course and then review).
Automating off-sides calls should be easy with current technology.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:38
@Beachryan:
I totally agree. Absolutely deplorable, did he think he was being funny? Yes, he got kicked, but did he really need to act like that? He is a transvestite-looking, cheating cunt. And, that is that. I really hope someone sets him straight…Too bad Evans’ kick wasn’t slightly higher.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:39
@Footy4Eddy: Hell yeah! We have EVERY reason to be proud of today and OPTImistic for the remainder of the season. (while I respect him) Grognard is wrong (in my view) about the lack of quality in our team. We can battle it out with any team in the world and I have NO doubt in that.
Join my [OPTI] team and show your pride!
November 8th, 2009 at 19:40
Three players really impressed me today. In true Manchester United spirit!
1. Darren Fletcher
My God how this Scottish lad has won me over. A brilliant performance by him, a true leader. Give him the armband Fergie!!! Was unlucky with the calls from the ref, as he made honest and hard tackles, playing well and giving the team some grit we have lacked since the days of Roy Keane. This is the closest we will ever come to a new Keane, and if Darren works on his shooting and becomes more prolific then, well. He would be a complete player, he did magnificent today!
2. Anderson
Played in a more offensive role today, much like he did in his first season and at Porto. And just to sum up his day, HE PISSED ON ESSIEN!!! What actually surprised me was that when competing with Essien on 50-50s, he wno the majority of them. I thought Essien was the pure essence of power, but Andy was his match today. Tackled him, stopped him and was not afraid to get stuck in. And that was with him playing as CAM! Had the ref only seen that Rooney was ONSIDE, had only Giggs or Rooney seen his brilliant run, had only Giggsy been the Giggs of a month weeks ago, with the ball control of Berbatov, he would have been man of the match, as he in my opinion showed intelligence as well as the usual grit and visian we are(should have got) used to.
This lad… Is back!
3. Wayne Rooney
Didnt do much in the first half, but timed his run perfectly for Andersons through ball. Could have scored a goal after just 8 minutes, but dissapeared as the half went on. But in the second half I saw the Rooney of the old, he played with drive and determination. Two really good efforts, and unlucky on both of them. Played in Giggs and Valencia a few times with perfectly threaded through balls but unluckily for him Giggs was wasteful today and Valencia had some bad touches. His effort which would have crept into the top corner would have been a beauty, but he performed really well today and if he can play like he did in the second half, and being more effective, for the remainder of the season he is gonna be our main man.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:40
Dear united fans,
while i am thoroughly proud of our players for not allowing chelsea to walk over us, lets remind ourselves that we didnt score. that says alot. we have hardly been scoring for fun this season.
this brings me to my point, we desperately need a finisher. owen should be our finisher, but he is unfit and has lost an edge. i honestly would like david villa. lets put the price aside, he is a ruthless finisher, both feet, decent heading ability and a decent freekick taker.
Rooney awoke in the second half, but like berba he is more of a creator and link up player. his first touch was poor, no left foot and poor off the ball movement. but rooney being rooney, he worked his socks off.
fletch and his fellow midfielders were fantastic. they passed well and broke up play when necessary. we really do not miss hargo, fletcher was a different class. finally, while i think ryan giggs is a living legend and the 8th wonder of the world, he is not good enough anymore and defineatly should not be starting. the reason why he has seemed so good, is because everyone else bar fletch has been poor and inconsistent.
we are ONE UNITED
November 8th, 2009 at 19:41
We did not deserve to lose end of story. But that is football. It is heartening that even without Ronaldo there is little difference between us and Chelsea head-to-head. The difference is that Chelsea have been disposing of weaker teams much more effectively than we have been. But then they are the form team of the moment, while we will improve as the season wears on. They will also really suffer during the African Nations.
What I am scared of is that Chelsea will strengthen in January and we will do nothing. Fergie identified the real problem with Chelsea this season….their diamond is ineffective without a world class attacking midfielder.
We are also overly reliant on Fletcher. He is carrying an injury and while he may be able to soldier on until summer we could do with some effective cover. Giggs was also disappointing and we rely on him too much when really we should have bought a quality attacking midfielder. With Obertan showing his class again in his cameo I am hopeful, but Valencia should be a squad player-he should not be playing in big games or European ties. Either play Nani, or ship Nani out and buy a winger.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:43
ASIDE: There is so much soccer/football on TV in USA now-a-days.
ESPN2 showing Valencia-Zaragoza in HD now (villa just scored!)
GOLTV showing Sevilla-Villareal
FSC: Showing Utd-Chelsea
November 8th, 2009 at 19:48
Don’t know why, but I’m not remotely upset at the result, maybe a bit dissappointed but not upset. We outplayed chavski today and a big mention goes to Fletch, Anderson, Evra, Evans and Rooney. Ferguson got his tactics spot on today; put pressure on their midfield and peg their attacking full-backs back in their half. Genius!!
Too bad we still suffer from poor decision making in the final third, the game could have been ours.
I’ll try not to dwell on the inept refereeing as it has been rife this season; fletcher did not foul ashley cole, evans kung-fu kicked drogba, terry fouled valencia in the box etc etc, the list goes on… and they say we should give them respect
Now, the dreaded international break!! Just when United put in a gritty and entertaining performance and threaten to carry on, this balderdash of a break comes along
at least i’ll get to see England trash Brazil… hopefully! 
November 8th, 2009 at 19:50
@one united: I like what you are saying and agree with most of it, however, I think a fit hargreaves brings more technical ability to the team than Fletcher. That does not mean we cannot use both at the same time
This means Carrick is gone off course.
Midfield:
EVD/Adler/Neuer/Akinfeev
Raphael/Y-Vidic-Evans-Evra
Hargo/XX – Fletch – Ando/Z – Valencia/Obertan
Rooney-Berba/Owen/X
I am optimistic indeed
November 8th, 2009 at 19:50
Their so called diamond with all world class players (hahaha rubbish) were not able to stop a single run of Evra ( who is shit in view of Grog).
November 8th, 2009 at 19:51
This team has great players. They showed that today. If we can perform like this on more occasions who needs to worry? The only players that I felt werent up to standard today were Oshea, Giggs and Carrick. Giggs showed that he is not so quick anymore, and his ball control is leaving him. Oh well, we had the 18 year old Giggsy for a few games, which won us 9 points. Cant complain, after all he is 35.
Not his fault that he cant speed past a 24 year old full back. And because he is just back from injury, its hard to diss his ball control. He was wasteful like Ive never seen him before this season, he ruined many of our counters and his passing was just off. But that may all be because he is 35 and has just come back from injury. Will never be a definitive starter for us again, and I will probably prefer Nani or Obertan over him in the future. If Obertan could cross, he would be a perfect winger. Just too bad we havent seen any of it yet…
Oshea, well, he is John Oshea. A squad player, at least at United. I thought Wes Brown was impressive today, and I would like to see him return to his full back duties as soon as Vida is fit. Evans is currently better than Rio, much, much better! A strong and solid performance today, just like on many other occasion. This guy is quickly growing up to be a man…
As for Carrick. Yeah, he did well today. But I still dont see him as a starter for us anymore. Most of our games will be played with a 4-4-2, and at the moment Fletcher and Anderson are by far the superior players! They seem to complete eachother well, and lets not talk about form!
I still dont recognise Carrick after Rome, but I really hope he can return. He has a good passing foot, and just like Scholes and Xabi, when at Liverpool, can control the tempo of the game. But the fact that he cant shoot, cant tackle and he is slower than a crippled snail all work against him. Good player when on form, but doesnt impress me. Hopefully he will come back, but not United quality at the moment.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:52
@Gabriel: I know what happened today…
If we had worn the poppy, we would have won…
November 8th, 2009 at 19:54
Im happy for this match because we played very well. We missed a bit of luck today, but we deserved to win. This match showed that in PL isnt better team than United. Maybe Arsenal, they have a lot of creative players in their middle. Our problem is when Giggs is out of form, then we are predictable. But today we played like team and we fight till the end. I dont like when United is losing, but after this performance im happy. I was entertained by my beloved club and im happy.
For Chelsea: I think Abramovic has a lot to do in the past to create this team full of stupidos. I take lot of time, energy and money to spot these players and integrate to a one team. Great game like football dont deserve players like drogba or ballack. I hate when these players destroy our game and the other day are praised for their performance by media, fans or managers. Its strange.
PS: England has the worst referees i have ever seen. In our poor slovakian league are better referees. In such a big country have to be at least 10 world class referees. PL has high progres in last 10 years but referes stayed at the same level or maybe worst. I dont understand why responsible people didnt try something. Every week are games influenced by referees, its frustrating for me and im living in other country and dont pay tickets for matches to watch my club. Its quite ridicoulus.
Sorry for my english, and good night.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:55
Im not upset with united one bit! They came out, and where the better side by far. Had it not been for the ref, i reckon we could have won that. Miles better then chelsea.
Im not upset in the slightest. But i AM annoyed with that “referee.”
November 8th, 2009 at 19:56
I feel better now.
Redrants.com therapy is the best therapy!
November 8th, 2009 at 19:58
I’m glad everyone’s been positive despite the result. Says a lot about the referee. The players deserve that much from us.
November 8th, 2009 at 19:59
@[OPTI]Madschester United: You wait, Daily Racism tomorrow morning ‘Chelsea win a Victory for Dead soldiers’
November 8th, 2009 at 20:00
Valencia should play as RB as he defends well and bring Nani there…
November 8th, 2009 at 20:05
@Traverse:
That would only be fair. Who do you want to win the league?
Axis-loving United or Patriotic-soldier-supporting Chelsea? I am sure you can make a judicious choice…
United for life!
ps: I still hate Glazers and our enormous debt!
November 8th, 2009 at 20:06
@owen: interesting… I think I like it… except Valencia tackles like scholes
November 8th, 2009 at 20:06
Evans on Drogba=priceless
, Fergie Fergie double his salary 
November 8th, 2009 at 20:11
What fucked us over today was our lack of height going forward. How many times did we get to crossing opportunities and it was Rooney vs Carvalho and Terry or Giggs vs Ivanovic. Rooney has proved that he can be good in the air, but when played as a lone striker he is useless with crosses. Unless all the wingers would please follow Andersons example and cross low………………
If there is one thing I complain about our team, one single thing, its that area. Im not complaining about defence, as I feel a back 4 of Brown-Evans-Vidic-Evra would murder most attackers. Get a good goalkeeper and we are practically perfect back there! Fletcher is turning out to become a world class DM, and with Hargo coming back and Pogba still being very young, I dont think we need to strengthen that area. Anderson is doing well offensivly as a playmaker these days, picking up 3 assists in two games and would have had one more if the linesman had seen that Rooney actually was onside.
Ljajic is also coming, and from what I have seen he is good. Valencia is also a good player, but could work on becoming a bit more unpredictable. Looks confident at the moment though, and may that continue. I still believe Nani will do great for this club, Ive not given up on him! But the fact that he wasnt even on the bench today says a lot really… Gibson and Fabio were preffered over him! Maybe this means goodbye, who knows? 
I dont hope so though, and Obertan looks the deal if he could only manage a cross. Would be nice with another winger though, wouldnt say no to Ashley Young.
Now this is my problem. Up front we have a good mix. We have Rooney, who is very smart, can finish from everywhere, can be a finisher and a creater, and can do most things. He is usually also fast as well! Owen, the most clever striker Ive seen in United for some years! Fast and a good finisher as well. Berbatov, brilliant ball control and lately scores goals even Cantona would have been proud of. I think he has done well lately, and he may be a vital brick in our team this season. However, the one thing we lack up front is aerial ability. Rooney and Owen are both short, so they dont make much use in the air, as proven today. Dimi is tall and strong, but too much of a pussy to get stuck in. Especially in the air. I think he has only scored one header for this club, which is embarrasing when you think about it. Rooney played as a lone front man today, doing everything perfectly. But its sad to see that there are always countless high crosses coming in which he has no chance to get his head to. The 4-5-1 worked well today, really well. If we had a taller front man, who knows what might have happend as we came to countless crossing positions! Macheda may be good, we havent seen so much from his this season…
Mame Biram Diouf looked very well for Molde today and scored two goals in the Norwegian Cup Final. Molde play with a 4-3-3, Mame as the front man. He scores a lot of headers, and if given a chance at United he may score a few headed goals. Just a thought…
November 8th, 2009 at 20:13
@owen: Now this sounds mental (for a 16million man) but I think you might have a point. As a RB Valencia could torment opposition but overlapping a RM, and bring something to offense.
But not sure that he has the defending basics (such as holding a line, playing to the offside trap) right though. But then again, neither have Rafael or Fabio!
November 8th, 2009 at 20:14
@[OPTI]Madschester United: I honestly believe we lack quality. We can safely assume that this 4-2-3-1 formation will be played in most of the big games. It is dead important for the top four in these to be real quality and atleast one to be a real goalscorer. Since we wont play Rooney on the wing, our wingers HAVE to be a strong goal-threat. Sadly, they arent even quality enough at their basic jobs as a winger. Honestly, when your final ball-provider (CAM) is Anderson instead of Gerrard/Fabregas, and the guy supposed to finish the ball is Rooney/Valencia instead of Torres/Arshavin, it doesnt exactly inspire confidence.
Anyways the tactics/formation were thousand times better than the Anfield crap-show. Fletcher was immense and Carrick can be better. Rooney was lively and all he missed was Ronaldo.
Although I do understand that we cannot win every game, I hope we don’t catch the Arsenal “We deserved to win” / “Good players coming up” attitude.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:15
We actually do have a quality left midfielder in Obertan. He is probably, no, he is going to become one of the most recognisable players in football and mostly because of his talent rather than odd head. That kid is pure quality. Great creativity and spark with the necessary technical ability to support
November 8th, 2009 at 20:19
@poiuy: True. We do not have Ronaldo. But every team in the world except RM do not have Ronaldo. He improves every team he plays on. Anderson can play against lampard and Essien, he can surely play against fabregas and gerrard.
I still think ancelotti will struggle without Essiens and Drogba for the AFC and as the season passes christmas, their aging squad will struggle.
Watch for Arsenal now. They are looking good.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:22
If it’s possible to be happy with a defeat, then I guess happiness is what I’m feeling!
At midpoint through the 2nd half I was convinced we were gonna go on to win it. We were,…..wait for it…… dominating the MF and as a result had the lions share of possession – it seemed it would be only a matter of time before we scored.
So in the end I was more suprised, than I was disappointed.
If you could point to the difference, it would be that Chelsea capitalized on the adversity that the ref created, and we let it take us away from our composure.
The 3 men CMF was very effective, with Fletcher and Anderson playing interference with their diamond and Carrick mopping up the scraps. If it wasn’t for poor wing play by Valencia and Giggs, we would have created so many more chances. But what was more evident than anything else, was that even with such a commanding MF performance, we were lacking the player that could make the special play or take a threatening shot from 30 yards out.
We had some chances, though, and again we didn’t convert. It’s a reoccurring theme that I fear we not improve with this squad of players.
So all in all, I’m surprised and happy with the performance – we are not that far from being back at the top of our game, but it will take an infusion of world class talent. One in the MF and one in the attack.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:23
Obertan needs to start from this point on. Giggs didn’t have the best games of course but it felt like Obertan could’ve contributed even more if he’d been brought on earlier. Obertan’s gotta get on one of the two wings as Valencia lacks the trickery (and crossing) and Giggs lacks the pace. And Nani…Nani seems to be missing anything resembling a footballing brain.
Seriously though, Obertan’s shown his composure and ability to play within this team every single time that he’s come on. Give him a start if his fitness is there.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:32
With us using the 4-2-3-1 more often thses days, what about making it permanent?
VDS
Brown-Evans-Vidic-Evra
Fletcher-Carrick/Hargreaves
Valencia-Anderson-Rooney
——Berbatov——
With Anderson and Rooney swithcing positions, and Rooney cutting inside, as well as changing with Berba, that could be good tactical play by our side. If Valencia could stick to his right wing, Anderson being the playmaker and changing with Rooney at times. Berbatov and Rooney running around eachother and combining their movement. I would reall like it if we could play like that, I think its a good team.
…
Yeah, I am in love with 4-2-3-1, and have been ever since we beat Roma 7-1. Best performance Ive seen in my life.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:35
@[OPTI]Madschester United: I dont want Ronaldo. All I want is a goal-scoring threat at one of the four positions (the striker, 2 wingers and CAM). Since Rooney isnt a consistent goal-scorer (but an amazing player still) and we must play him, it is imperative for one of the other three attacking players to be banging in the goals.
Arsenal are looking good
November 8th, 2009 at 20:55
@Footy4Eddy: Horses for courses, mate. We should go with a 4-5-1/4-3-3 against the likes of Chelsea, but against rest of the teams, 4-4-2 is just fine.
November 8th, 2009 at 21:35
Our lads died like men today…
Sorry for jinxing
November 8th, 2009 at 21:47
@Footy4Eddy: That should be our formation against every top team. Everyone was talking bout their midfield but ballack, deco and lampard did sweet fuck all today. Our midfield was so much better and we were only fucked by the ref. We should have been 2-0 at halftime.
That said the next game Obertan must START!
November 8th, 2009 at 22:02
I have to really question ppl who say Anderson has no future at United. I don’t know what people are talking about him fading in the 2nd half. It’s just one of those myths like Berbatov is lazy. He has put in work in training and he has shown commitment throughout all his performances this season. I’ve been hugely impressed. Both him and Fletcher have been clearly our best midfielders this season and Ferguson has rewarded him with constant game time. He didn’t tear the midfield to pieces but was one of the best performers today from both sides. Great vision and his off the ball runs were unrewarded by Rooney’s selfishness and twice by Tony’s blindness. He was totally through in great positions to score. This is his best position in a midfield 3 linking the forwards. Great work rate throughout and was justly disappointed to be taken off in spite of being more effective than Carrick. A lot of untruths were spoken of his lack of vision before but this season he has shown that to be the lie that it is. Great passing. In fact it’s probably true that in all games he has started we have had the lion’s share of possession because his passing is top notch and his ball winning is instrumental in our getting a foothold in games. Against Blackburn he probably had a 100% pass rate or at least close to that. Just making the case for one of the most underrated and unappreciated players in our ranks.
November 8th, 2009 at 22:12
If we dont get silva or villa, what do you guys think of menez of roma?
November 8th, 2009 at 22:18
@ROOOOONEY: Or how about ljajic and obertan…
November 8th, 2009 at 22:39
@Jay wire
I love you, I wanna marry you and I want to have sex with you!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 22:45
@Jay wire: wow, jay you are making too much sense, its a real shame people will never understand or appreciate, let alone adhere to what you just said
November 8th, 2009 at 23:08
Obviously I’m on my own here because, even though I like anderson, he was OK. Dont get me wrong, I’m actually a fan but he done fuck all, he was lackadaisical at best. Apart from that, he/we weren’t bad at all.
As long as Fletch plays, we’r alrite!!! The ref was a turd. It just proves (to me anyway) that chelsea aren’t as good as everyone thinks they are (as I felt in a previous thread).
A special thanks has gotta go to Terry. I truly hope he dies of AIDS!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 23:34
Eddy- Okay maybe let’s take pump em brakes a bit. Lol. But trust me man, like you (and Ferguson) I can see the great in that kid. If Obertan actually turns up to be the player he is making us to believe, the duo of him and Andy could become prominent figures in world football within a year. I’m not playing. If you’ve been following Anderson’s performances this season you’ll have noticed one astonishing reality. He’s improved from his last performance every time and is quickly becoming indispensable. Obertan in his few cameos has exhibited great ability and has almost been flawless. The thing that strikes me is his ability to make things happen immediately and his dribbling and creative passing make him a real gem that I can’t even begin to comprehend how we got him for less than 15 million at least if Douglas Costa was worth nearly twenty. But as for Anderson, no matter what happens and whether Hargo returns soon, he should be always found in the middle of our midfield as much as Rooney is upfront. I concur with you about the formation and that’s pretty much what I’ve been gunning for. I’ve spoken about Berbatov as our point of attack and Anderson being given more authority to advance forward and bring his trademark energy through the middle. A midfield 3 would suit him best but because I’ve been a bit impressed by Tony and I’d like to see more of Obertan I’d balance it out with a 4 man midfield. Both wingers instead of doing the traditional crosses into the box, which you correctly point out, are mainly ineffective, should be more involved in more one twos and interchanging with the strikers to make us more unpredictable. That’s were Andy would flourish, in orchestrating and coordinating this type of play. If this happens, people will see the Anderson they’ve never seen. The Attacking Midfielder. Obviously it’s clear I’m also a big fan. Rooney, Berbatov and Anderson are my best and favourite players so I’ll write novels about them if I can.
November 8th, 2009 at 23:50
@jpg
Anderson shat, pissed and cummed on Essien today. If that isnt a good performance for you, then I dont know…
November 8th, 2009 at 23:53
@ROOOOONEY: Don’t think Roma will be parting with Menez anytime soon. I remember his name being tossed around a bit during last season but I don’t see it. Villa doesn’t fit the “no expensive signings over 26″ policy of Fergie’s. I like Silva in the creative midfielder role if we go for anyone during the winter.
Or Gourcuff…
What’s 100% certain though is that Obertan’s name needs to be in every team sheet, in the starting lineup, from here on out.
November 8th, 2009 at 23:54
@Jay wire: You write what I think!!!
I love you mate, just love you. If you were a woman, I would have given up my life for you and seek around the world just so I could find you. I just… Love you! 
Agree, I think Andy`s qualities are being underrated here. He is a brilliant player with brilliant vision, he has proven that durign his time here. He is strong like a bull, he is technically good, fast, he can tackle, has great vision and a left foot to go with it, and what surprised me today was that he made some very intelligent runs which could easily have given him chances to score. If Berbatov or Rooney wouldve had the ball when he made those runs, instead of Valencia and Carrick, he could have a had at least one goal to his name. I hope we see more great performances from him in the future, I am certain we will!
November 8th, 2009 at 23:56
Im gonna say this, if Anderson could shoot he would be the complete midfielder.
November 8th, 2009 at 23:58
@Footy4Eddy: +1. With Fletch and Carrick taking care of the holding duties and Hargo set to return we need to keep Ando in his best position. I really think we screwed with his head when we took him away from what was generally an attacking midfield role at Porto to more of a defensive midfielder. That’s not what he does.
November 9th, 2009 at 0:13
@edwin: nice wasn’t it
November 9th, 2009 at 0:20
@Grognard: kill the ones we have to make way for new ones
November 9th, 2009 at 0:27
@Footy4Eddy: That is a humongously large if.
November 9th, 2009 at 0:29
Might be a bit cynical, but while I agree Obertan is talented, I haven’t seen anything yet to suggest that he’s out of this world brilliant as some of you seemed to have suggested. He has talent, but we’ve seen only bits of decent stuff from him so far. I’d prefer if I got to see him in an entire match before judging him.
Just as people say one mustn’t quickly criticise someone before giving him time to be judged, the same could be said about excessive praise. Give him time, and let him earn the praise.
November 9th, 2009 at 0:33
@Jpg – You’re obviously not alone trust me. He did nothing isn’t anything remotely close to the truth. Sometimes players’ performances go unnoticed due to their teammates flaws. He got into a few great goal scoring chances were even he would have scored on at least one occasion. 1st running into acres of space, Rooney decided to drag play and even in the box he was still widely open. Only for Wayne to try an impossible shot and be selfish. Then he plays a short pass through to Valencia runs into great space expecting a quick return only for Tony to opt for a pass to Carrick who blasted over the bar. He would have been clean through. Then he combines brilliantly with Rooney who sets the ball up for Giggs with Anderson again running into great space in the box. At least Giggs actually sees his run and tries to pass but his pass is overhit and went out for a goal kick. The Welshman was guilty of the same offence again, this time with an overhit cross, but Anderson was in great position once again. You see if in any of these plays, his teammates had done the right thing, we would’ve been singing about Anderson as man of the match. That’s just on the offensive side of things. What of how he pegged Essien back and kept him mainly in his half. What of his near perfect passing and ball retention. He was clearly one of the best players on the pitch esp when you look at how largely ineffective Chelsea’s midfield was. We’re not saying he totally shattered the field, no. But he was beyond okay. Not man of the match, but his contribution was as good as Rooney’s. To be honest most people outside United have seen and are valuing his contribution. In the game at Liverpool during half time analysis the pundits were all saying Anderson should’ve started because he brings strength, energy and creativity and we wouldn’t have lost that game if he played.
November 9th, 2009 at 0:37
@Red Ranter: I agree that it’s still early but he just has an air of confidence about him that suggests that he’s up for it. Bring him on in the CL, against Rovers, today against Chelsea, doesn’t matter. Granted his time on pitch has been limited but he already appears to know where to move when he doesn’t have the ball, has the moves and the speed to beat a man one on one, and has on a number of occasions, and his linkup play with Evra on the left has been pretty good thus far.
At the very least he’s already a better option than Nani and certainly can’t do any worse that Nani has this season. Nani seems to kill each and every play we put together with his incessant shimmy-shake in front of the defender while letting the entirety of the defense get into position, cut inside and loft in a weak cross that never lands for anyone. And then every now and again he’ll pull off a serendipitous backheel that finds Owen for a goal.
I’m not really one to rave on about new prospects like I think people were with Costa and Alexis Sanchez on the YouTube videos but when he plays he looks like he’s been with the team for quite some time now (with the exception of his dribble out of bounds in his EPL debut).
I think with more time you’d be convinced. Look at how skittish Rafa and (to a lesser extent) Fabio look when they’re on the ball. Everything’s hurried and sometimes all over the place. I don’t get that feeling from Obertan in the slightest. I know that’s not all that it takes but he just looks way too composed and comfortable out there (not that that’s a bad thing).
November 9th, 2009 at 1:06
@Sam Davis: Rafa and Fabio also got rave reviews when they started out at United, mind.
Anyway, I’ll give it time before I judge him.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:06
@Sam Davis: you look like RR!!!! Are you twins?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:10
@[OPTI]Madschester United:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:21
@RedRanter – I don’t think Anderson’s shooting will continue being a problem. As Sam Davis has just pointed out, it’s the shackles that have messed his game. It’s really a problem of confidence because he used to be competent shooter at least, at his previous clubs. Confidence plays a large role in these things. If you put shackles on attacking players, they lose confidence in their shooting and ability to score goals. Look at Rooney for instance. He suffered a similar ordeal, especially with Ronaldo around. Now when was the last time we saw any outside the box goal from him. In his heyday, you’d actually be wondering if he ever scores in the box. Everytime he lined up for a shot outside the box, keepers would quake and we’d all hold our breathes in anticipation for another goal of the season contender. Volleys, missiles, audacious chips etc. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any Rooney type of goal. Maybe years. So that’s my opinion. As Anderson is freed up more, his confidence will return and so will his shooting boots.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:27
@Jay wire: he is appreciated mate! the fans were chanting his name all day and you could hear them over the home fans. This brought a smile to my face our away fans controlled the stands and our players controlled the mid.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:33
@gator: What was the chant I was hearing earlier about someone being a wanker?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:34
Anderson gives us a bit of muscle in the middle which is useful against combative midfields like Chelsea, and I think with time he could develop into a good Premiership player. But he was woeful against a skilful Barcelona midfield and I think he lacks the guile and intelligence to be a world class player. I still think we need that bit of extra class in midfield for European games. Neither Carrick or Anderson cut it for me.
4-5-1 does work quite nicely from a defensive point of view. Our defence held strong and with Carrick, Fletcher and Anderson we were able to do enough to keep their midfield quiet. We never really looked like conceding against Chelsea in open play and an away draw would have been a well deserved result.
But from an attacking point of view it is really quite limited. The only play we get is from the wings. But with Ronaldo gone we lack a world class winger and Valencia is a poor substitute.
If we had Ronaldo or signed a good replacement we’d have taken Chelsea’s diamond apart.
In fact if Giggs had a better game we might have sneaked a win. But it is ridiculous we are having to rely on a 36 year old in crunch games like this. Yes he is still good enough to take apart the midtable teams. But we really need to buy a long term replacement and we are crying for a tip top attacking midfielder to give us that much needed creativity in the middle to take the pressure of Rooney and Berbatov so they can concentrate on scoring goals.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:35
@Footy4Eddy: get a room
this is you singing to jay wire
November 9th, 2009 at 1:39
@Footy4Eddy: defiantly needs to spend the break taking shooting lessons. Poor guy is a beast with sublime passing but scuffs his shots maybe he should just pass the ball at the goal.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:45
@Sam Davis: AAAAN DEEERR SON SON SON
November 9th, 2009 at 1:52
same damn story every week done in by the ref. it is the shittist excuse ever but damn if we dont. night boys
November 9th, 2009 at 2:07
@gator:
November 9th, 2009 at 3:27
god the amount of praise i see for anderson on this site is ridiculas!!!!! today all he proved was that he is dead weight, he was lost in a game that passed him by, the truth is he is very limited and very fucking frustrating to watch, he has fuck all of a football brain, and cant tacklie, plus his a chubby fucker too!!!
also if oberton and owen started we would of won but hey of course nowadays man urd try to stop other teams from playing, instead of the other way round…………WHAT HAVE WE BECOME!!!!!!!!??????????????
November 9th, 2009 at 4:32
@jamie lee: Not sure what game you were watching, but Anderson played great today. He did a great job neutralizing Essien, while at the same time he showed good vision going forward.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:33
@[OPTI]Madschester United: I will do no such thing. We played exceedingly well today as a group and with a lot of heart and desire but at the endd of it all, we still had no clue on how to score a goal. Yes we were robbed and screwed over because that goal should never have counted. We deserved a point and with some luck even the win but we never got it. Why? Because we lacked the necessary quality up front and through the heart of our midfield that could break down the defense of Chelsea and create three or four more great chances. The reason we were so good today was Fergie getting the squad selection and tactics right for this kind of game. Ancelotti likes to play diamond formations and Chelsea as a team have no real width. Therefore three central midfielders were the way to go. Wasn’t Fletcher amazing today? Man of the match in my mind. His heart, desire, passion and leadership were there for all to see. I felt I was watching Roy Keane out there barking orders to others and screaming at the ref and getting involved in every play. Take him out of the lineup and we would be a completely different beast.
We lack a serious end product from our strikers, our midfielders, our wingers and fullbacks. Everything else they have but when you have no end product in a game like today, only one bad break will beat you. I was encouraged but even Fergie knows, some serious spending has to be done come January.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:35
@Beachryan: Drogba is a mother fucking cunt and a piece of walking breathing human feces. Other than Terry, there in no player in world football I despise more than this guy except perhaps Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. His dramatic act should earn him an Oscar nomination as he looked liked he had cracked or broken ribs but then 20 seconds later, he was fine.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:40
@Lars: I’d add his linesmen to that list as they were also blind as bats in daylight. The linesman called Rooney offside in the first haf when he was in all alone and the fact was, he wasn’t even close to being offside because Assly Hole played him onside by a good two yards. It was diabolical and it is about the hundredth time this has happened to United in the last two seasons. No team gets more bogus offside calls against it than United. And the linesman could easily see Drogba bring Wes Brown down but did nothing to alter the refs thinking. We weren’t up against 12 men like Rooney said, we were up against 14. Pretty impossible odds to expect a win against.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:41
@owen: They are a very good team mate. You cannot be excellent every night out and lets face it, United came to play. Chelsea are an elite highly experienced team and they also have the X Factor. They have the refs on their side for all games except contests vs Barcelona.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:45
@[OPTI]Madschester United: You are entitled to your opinion mate but I am not wrong. We were as pumped up for this game as Liverpool was against us. Would you call Liverpool great right now? We are nowhere near the team we need to be to win this thing. We lack quality finishing and quality service up front. and through the middle. Until we add a few creative players to our roster, we are a good team and nothing more than that. But one thing became crystal clear today. When Darren Fletcher is out there, this team has more desire and heart than when he isn’t playing. Man he really won me over today with an outstanding and totally heroic effort. By the way, why weren’t you calling me wrong after Wednesday’s game or after the Liverpool game? One game does not make you right mate. And more than one game is proving me right.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:48
@Footy4Eddy: If Darren Fletcher doesn’t get the armband from Fergie, I will eat your shorts.
Today he epitomized the definition of a captain, a hero and a leader. I want to go out and buy his jersey, he so won me over for life.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:49
So disappointed with today’s loss. No doubt we were the better team but we need somebody prolific, Rooney’s good but he makes things far too complicated. It seems any shot he tries seems to just hit into a defender nowadays, he shows so much defensive guile yet he snaps selfishly at the chance to shoot when he has two other great options in the box. Sometimes he reminds me of a fly, mindlessly tapping on transparent glass, wasting time and effort when really he needs to wait for the window to open.
But onto the goal… that goal really typified what I don’t like about Chelsea. I admit that they can play some good footy, but first of all, it’s questionable how much of a foul/dive Fletcher’s challenge created. In any case it was a very soft freekick to give away. Then Drogba’s all over Wes Brown like the sly, cheating player he often shows he is. And to cap it off he technically interferes with play from an offside position, how ridiculous. Possible cheating with Cole’s dive, Drogba cheating by pushing Brown around and again CHEATING with his offside interference. Drogba really has no style or class sometimes. Other than for some blinding goals that he scores I have little respect for the guy but even some of his goals are about as cheap and ugly as the girls you see hanging around Piccadilly train station.
There were other terrible decisions given today but I really cannot be bothered complaining about the appalling state of affairs that British refereeing seems to be entering. Fouls AND cards are given for such soft challenges it’s a joke, refs seem to be so detached from the game it’s unbelievable.
Really though today is another example of the cutting edge we are lacking compared to teams like Chelsea, Liverpool and to some extent Arsenal. We need somebody getting behind the defenders with their pace, somebody to split a defense open, I know I’m describing Drogba/Torres but it’s exactly the sort of player we need. Rooney could even be moved to CAM with his vision, passing and defensive work.
The one other thing I will comment on was the extra time given. I’m sure it was referee Martin Atkinson who reffed both the derby and today’s game. In the derby he thought he had reason to (considering substitutions) add extra time upon extra time. Today Chelsea wasted nearly a minute bringing Alex on in extra time, where was the time allowed for that substitution? Refs are fast losing respect and they wonder why we ask for CONSISTENCY?
November 9th, 2009 at 4:51
@one united: Lets not forget that for our midfielders to play as they did, we had to sacrifice an attacker. The true definition of a great midfield is how they perform as a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, not a 4-5-1 when the midfield is stacked for their success. And still, they never really created much but they controlled the big names for Chelsea as well as the ball at key times. Credit to our back four today also. All four played well but I thought both Evans and Wes Brown were excellent all day.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:52
@colver: The time has come to see more of Obertan. He does have a silky touch and Ronaldoesque dribbling skills.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:54
@[OPTI]Madschester United: The got the curse of the dead on them today because of their grievous snub.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:55
I suppose this is what you get for complaining about referees Fergie.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:57
@colver: I agree with much of what you say here, mate.
The 5 man MF played a large part in disrupting the Chelsea daimond, and when Chelsea are taken out of their comfort zone, they struggle to create any offerings for Drogba to lap up. But the issue for us cannot just be interference – it has to be creativity as well, and with our current set, we just don’t have it.
It’s really nothing against them, and I loved the way they put in their shifts, but in all honesty you can’t ask a House Painter to redo the Sistine Chapel!!
The Ronaldo thing raised it head for me too. The loss of him was one thing, but the issue of what it will take to replace his influence is what now appears to be of vital interest to this teams success.
I would wager that Ronaldo would’ve made the difference in this game. His influence in building an attack and his vitality in finishing one would have pushed us over the edge.
I do realize that no single player could replace that, and it’s unfair to compare him to any poor sole that plays that position, but we still need improvement in the MF and we need improvement in attack.
Is it not unreasonable to think that it will take two players to replace the genius of Ronaldo. Is it not unreasonable to believe that acquiring two new players would put us back to the pinnacle of European Football!!
November 9th, 2009 at 4:58
@Red Ranter: Hey mate, I’m fair. I have nothing but praise for the lads after today. Hell I would have preferred that we lost 3-0 or 4-1 so that I could say told you so and because that kind of loss stings but is soon forgotten. But this one hurt and hurt deeply. It makes you paranoid and makes you mistrust the league and it’s officials. It turns you off of the game because we as fans put our hearts and souls on the line like the players only to have officials shatter our dreams with diabolical calls that border on criminal conspiracy. So Fergie came out today and really let Atkinson have it in the press. Does that mean his future banning will be doubled now? If anything they should cancel the previous plans for a ban simply because after today, the refs owed Fergie one.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:00
@Ober-fuckin-tan: Evans made a big claim for Rio spot today.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:03
@[OPTI]Madschester United: I said this before the season started. Watch for Arsenal. They are young, hungry, very talented and have a truly great manager that I might hate but have a world of respect for. Their weakness though is in goalkeeping and DMF. They need to address those spots because as far as I’m concerned, I still have a hard time seeing them win it all with Almunia in goal. The guy is as useless or even more useless than Foster.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:07
@Redrich: You are dead right there Red. And it appears that Fergie is eying up Krasic as we speak. At least I hope these reports have some truth to them. Like I said on Wednesday, Fergie would have to be a blind fool to ignore the greatness of Milos Krasic and also, you know Fergie only likes to buy players he has seen up close and personal and who have excelled against his team. So Akinfeev and Krasic seem like done deals to me. I still prefer Neuer or Adler but they would also cost twice what Akinfeev will.
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/138944/Fergie-sets-his-sights-on-trio-of-rising-stars/?
November 9th, 2009 at 5:09
@jpg: I’d say that was rude, out of line and uncalled for mate, but since it was directed to Terry, it’s OK.
Lets add that piece of shit Drogba to the death list.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:12
@Sam Davis: CraigMC is going to be asking for your home address soon.
He is Nani’s official champion and he will demand satisfaction and pistols at dawn. 
November 9th, 2009 at 5:14
@jamie lee: HA! HA! H! HA!
I love you man. 
Sweeeeet!
November 9th, 2009 at 5:15
@Ober-fan: Believe it. I am a firm believer that referees are going to make an example of Fergie and make him regret every time he bitches about refs.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:19
@Jay wire: I think he has a serious technical problem with his shooting. It’s not a confidence issue in my opinion. I think the problem is in his shooting mechanics. It’s shockingly poor the way he winds up to shoot.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:30
@Grognard:I think SAF see’s the problems too – he’d be blind or senile not to. The questions that remain are:-
1/. Does he have the transfer funds available for such purchases??
2/. Does he feel this team will need help in the January window to either win silverware this season or to avoid an out of the top 4 finish.
If he elects to buy in January I’d be interested to see what he’s after. It will certainly put much more clarity on why he didn’t buy in the summer.
November 9th, 2009 at 7:20
Anderson just cannot shoot for crying out loud. he is a hardworking terrier you can use against games like these but when not for all games. As RR mentioned, he just doesnt have the technical ability to shoot…he is too squarish, has about zero right foot and no posture to take a clean shot on target. Fletch was abso brilliant!! and as someone above said, the following players to maybe need to catch AIDS or something – Terry, Drog and A Hole.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:20
United fans glorifying defeat!Strange things happen.out playing chelsea is not something rare and i have seen even lesser teams doing it.The problem for us is we lack in attack.I will point some things down;
1-Fergies love for Giggs is beyond me.He may come up with a decent delivery and we score from a set piece but throught the 90 minutes he is a liability.
2-I have failed to understand what Rooney does to make people believe he is up there with the best.No pace,cant shoot without hitting the ball against the defender,cant seem to pick peoples runs,iam done with him.
3-everything else i wanted to say,has been said by jay wire
November 9th, 2009 at 8:24
If we are to base ourselves on dominating teams,then its right to assume arsenal should win every game.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:34
I don’t want to be a party stopper, but regardless of me being politically correct, some of these HIV statements are little too enthusiastic. Given the devastating nature and high infection rate of the virus, I think we can assume there’s a good percentage reading this blog who have been adversely affected by it. Just my two cents on it.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:50
@donibrasco:
, look at the top scorers chart and come back to me.
1) Giggs is technically a CM now, and he was playing out of position, but the fact is, he is at least our second best left winger at the club.
2) You were done with rooney the second he joined united
3)meh.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:06
@Redrich: He needs to do the business in January for other reasons too mate. First off, buying in January avoids the World Cup pedigree increase in prices that many players will experience. Some might have the opposite happen to them but then again, does Fergie want to risk either situation? It’s important for him to save money. Secondly, he needs to show the fans that he hasn’t given up on the season. Many are not used to seeing us look as ordinary as we have looked. By buying in January he dismisses a lot of competition because a lot of big teams do very little if any buying in January because for the most part, they have spent most of their yearly transfer budget already and do not have the money to go after big name players or talent like he mat be able to have if indeed, he has the funds from the Ronaldo sale. I still have serious doubts about that. What I see is the Glazer’s allocating to him his summer 2010 transfer budget 5 months early which means, he buy 20 to 25 million in players in January, and nothing come summer. And that will not be good enough. He needs to spend serious cash and buy top quality players.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:12
@donibrasco: You are done with Rooney eh? Well perhaps you should contact the Glazers and let them know that Barcelona are lining up a world record 85 million swoop bid to buy him off us because they think the Glazers will go for that kind of money. Of course it’s probably nonsense but, stranger things have happened in life. They need to replace Henry and if that Rooney is just not good enough for United, then maybe he can make it on that B Side in Spain. I mean what the Hell have they ever won and certainly they don’t have a clue in evaluating a player like yourself?
Seriously, mate, your views are yours and I should respect them but that was total and utter bollocks about Rooney.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:13
@Redrich: The only reasonable buys in my opinion will be Akinfeev. We have an attacking midfielder in Anderson and if we buy someone else, his already stuttering growth will be stunted more. Anderson is just about showing signs of getting good. Why would Fergie want to stunt his growth now?
Also, buying a DM is out of question Fletcher and Hargreaves. Nuff said.
A winger? We have Nani and Valencia. Valencia is good. Not great. But still we cannot have a back up for him in his very first season. I think we have seen just about enough of him and he seems to be getting good. He is fast and pacy and can beat his man. His only problem is that he can never cut in and whenever he sees a dead end in front he doesn’t look to the side, he only passes back. I do not know if anyone else has noticed this, but I definitely think he can improve this aspect of his game.
Obertan seems good, but then, we cannot judge him so early. These are only his first couple of matches. He is too lanky for my opinion and looks injury prone. I do not know his record, this is just speaking off the cuff. Again, I am digressing. He seems to be a good option. Nani – this is his season, to show what he has got. I believe that if he doesn’t show what is required, he will be offloaded in the summer and then maybe, we will buy a winger. But till then I do not know. Not to forget, we also have Park and he has just signed a new deal.
Sorry guys, but I do not see us buying anyone in the January window. Maybe in the summer if Nani turns out to be below requirement. I still have hope in him though.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:17
In my opinion. We need a good RB. Neville will be gone this summer – or should be if he doesn’t want to. Rafael and Fabio don’t cut it defensively and in my opinion a RB’s primary role is defending. And I do not know if they will learn their defensive basics in this season. We will also need a striker, but I do not know if we will be able to accomodate him here. With Berba, Rooney, Macheda and Welbeck.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:30
I think it is safe to assume that we all watch “different” games. We all also have our own perspective to circumstances surrounding matches. Some of us watch with minds made up that so and so will once again fail, even before kick off. Ask Nani, who made a good contribution against Moscow and was still lambasted due to the bigger and better contribution made by Obertan when the opponents were now playing for the draw and were firmly pegged in their own half. Some of us see one misplaced pass or heavy touch and the whole performance is immediately summed up as that. The same goes for one good show of skill. Some try to be balanced but contradict themselves in that attempt. It’s kinda like the movie Vantage Point or Sin City and to some extent Babel the way games are viewed. But prejudice and great bias is always at the forefront. And blindness in many cases too. It really is the beautiful game
November 9th, 2009 at 9:32
@Grognard: I agree to the fullest of what you said… I mean if we want to avoid the world cup auction January is must for us. Secondly, I firmly believe if we are targeting some Serbian (Krasic) then its better that we are doing it in January as it will mean that he is having around 6 months to settle in team without being pressured to deliver soon. Remember VIDIC he took around half a season to get hang of things on and off the pitch.
After yesterdays match its clear that all we are lacking is that little extra or what we call as X factor. Other than that we are pretty much fine whats more we have seem to found out the Roy of this generation in our own Monster Fletch.
What I really feel is we want to add couple of player that GK and CAM who will give you goals to add to huge domination we had last night. I think given the track record of Fergie we can count on one thing that if Igor and Krasic has caught his eyes then there are bright chances that they are coming. I agree with RedRich about the money factor but if wants them he will take them. Even if it means that some one from united is moving out. I mean its simple sell to buy. Which is perfectly fine if you are getting better quality. I think there are players who can be sold on this team. I know there may be people who will disagree but I feel that you can sell at least three of current squad to add those two.
PIG, Carrick and NANI can be sold. I know it will recoup whole amount but at least it would recoup half of the required investement. I think Selling price of these three and the annual budget of around 25mn is enough to see Fergie adding these two players.
Second reason why I would say go for them in January is because they will be cup tied which will automatically result in reduced interest from most of the big European clubs which may allow us save in few mn pounds. Remember Arshawin (last year)….
November 9th, 2009 at 9:41
@Aditya: I have little problem with your theory. I mean I agree as far as GK is concerns and after his performance against UTD we can see more chances of him coming then not. But as far winger position is concern I would like to have someone like Krasic in the team (if he is able to play both wings) as he definitely will be an upgrades on our current wingers. I am all for giving Valencia time as he is my type of winger hugging the line and all… But about NANI I am loosing my patience now. And if good offer come i would not be too reluctant to accept that.
As far as our RB position is concern I have to that I disagree with most of the people who feels that we need to add something there. For one simple reason that is WES BROWN. I mean due to some mysterious reason amount of OShea is spending at RB is making all of you feel that we are short in that dept. But, hang on guys WB is still there. And don’t forget the lad De Leat he is a monster as well. So I think we are well covered there all we need is Fergie to use best man for the JOB (for me its WES BROWN)…..
November 9th, 2009 at 9:54
@Jay wire: I agree as far as prejudice is concern. But let us understand why??? I mean what is prejudice??? Its for me a judgment passed about some one in your mind even before the case is up for fight isn’t it???
But, one needs to understand on thing that why one will have precudice about some one specially when we don’t even know them outside there playing time. Its down to simple thing bro that we seen them week in week out and then we start to build some opinion about him over a period of time may cautiously or not. But lets agree that its been craeted over a period of time (in most cases). So, when I see 15 matches when a player is garbage and than in 16th match he does half decent job I am definitely not going to change my opinion. Am I? And then because in my I have made up that he is shit no matter how good he will play his one mistake will be highlighted in my mind. Its perfectly fine its human isn’t it??? Like in my case I am going through all the post on here for last 1 and 1/2 years regd my love Berba and never found single fault in his game but for people here he is full of faults and problem but that what makes it interesting isn’t it???
November 9th, 2009 at 9:56
@Jay wire: Your right. I apologise to anyone I offended (excecpt Terry). I was drunk and it was the first thing that came into my head.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:09
@Grognard: Am sorry but all that barca story is press bullshit,and much as you say my attack on Rooney isnt fair,i find it very hard to compare him with say Drogba,Torres,and even Van persie and Adebayor.@Dan: We have looked at the chat,but remember he was the early pace setter,and i have seen enough in the last few years to be convinced a miracle will happen and we look up to him for inspiration instead of looking at him because he is rooney englands hope.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:11
This is epic:
Martin Samuel on his majesty John Terry, courtesy of the Daily Mail.
I laughed reading this!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:17
@Onkar: Wes Brown is a central defender who has been used as a RB for some time and un-expectedly turned out to be good. He is being used a Central Defender now. The problem is, that if we consider him as a RB then I guess, we will need cover in central defence. The link that Grognard gave links us with Kjaer, who is a central defender. Brown has hardly been used as a RB this season. Neville filled in and it has always been O’Shea and Rafael sparingly. I do not trust Rafael and I certainly do not trust Neville defensively. He still has it in him to deliver some crosses though. This little rant here takes versatility out of the window though. De Laet has not been given games till now at the highest level. Yes, he has been good in the Carling Cup games, but he hasn’t been tried out in the premiership as yet. Discount the Hull City game last season.
Plus, I noticed that you were talking about buying Krasic in January and then giving him time to settle. We already have around three to four players who are settling in or are being given time to become good. We do not need another player who might need time. Of course, one can never say whether Krasic would take time to settle in. I do not believe that we need him right now. Unless Nani spectacularly fails to deliver, I want him to be played regularly.
During the 2003-04 season to 06-07, we had players who were given time to settle in. We had Ronaldo – like Nani – who was still finding his feet. We had players like Kieran Richardson. Smudge, Djemba-Djemba who were all thought to be good enough but weren’t. My question is, are we now in that phase yet again? Where we know that our team has potential and shows it, like at Chelsea but still is not the finished team.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:43
@Aditya: As far as Krasic argument is concern I was trying to point to an advantage of signing him in January and thats why I also used VIDIC example to put my point. I am not saying that he will need time nor I am saying that he may not all I am saying that bringing him in January will make sure that he is available for cheaper than post WC rate as he is cup tied and most of the big clubs will not in the market and secondly if does need time (just an hypothetical assumption) he will have 6 months to do so. As far as NANI is concerned we have divided house here. What you are doing is you are hoping for thing to happen and what I am doing is I am passing a judgment on the basis of what I have seen no ones right at this moment but no ones wrong as well. So that for me is open ended question. But still I would reiterate that if a decent offers comes across I would sell him and may look at some one else as well. And if I want to cast my mind back to May then I would say I would like to see even Ashley Young coming (who will definitely not need time to settle) forget about Krasic then don’t need him in my mind….
November 9th, 2009 at 10:59
@Onkar: Fair enough. Ashley Young might be costly, because he is English.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:59
I must say that after dreading the game for a week, the performance I saw from the team was pleasantly surprising. The United midifeld absolutely bossed the much vaunted Chelski Diamond, and never gave them a sniff. We were done for in this game by absolutely terrible refreeing. The Terry pull on Valencia, the Rooney offside and the free-kick for their goal, all went against us, and I wonder if Fergie’s loud mouth and not the team’s failings will turn out to be our nemesis this year.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:16
@Aditya: Yeah… And thats one of the reason why I was not advocating him a lot since Summer. Secondly we all know Fergie mentality that he will go after those people with greater driver who he feels have done exceedingly well against his united. I mean Since Cantona till Ronaldo all the buys shoe that trend. If we go with that trend (theory) then we have to say there is heavy chance of him signing Igor and Krasic.
By the way are you from Mumbai (If I am not wrong you are isn’t it???) So, where do you enjoy the games on the weekend??? Is it any Sports Bar or something or just chilling at home…..
November 9th, 2009 at 11:24
@Vivek: Its no coincidence bro that since Gaffer loud mouthing the Refs have suddenly become so consistence. I mean they so Consistence in giving all the 50-50 decision and in some cases the loud and clear decision against us….
It seems like they are consistently trying to show all the other manager that look if you go on taliking against us like Fergie did (even if you are right) we will make you pay like we are making Man UTD pay for!!!!
I don’t know why but I have a strong gut feeling that it will continue for quite some time. At least till we are at least practically out of this race.
By the way i would like to say one thing on this whole Rooney comment about the 12 man (if its true of course) that, he was totally wrong. I think he doesn’t know counting at all. He said we were playing against 12 WRONG BS… In fact we were playing against 14 including the equally incompetent BS Linesman….
November 9th, 2009 at 11:27
@Vivek: Could be right about Fergie and his gob being the ruin of our season but to be honest it is our lack of clear cut chances and finishing that probably will cost us silverware.
Also there is a chance that these blatantly poor ref decisions could create a seige mentality of sorts – could wake this team the fuck up and encourage them to kick ass… but I doubt it.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:31
@Onkar: I am from Bangalore. And yeah, I watch the matches at home. You are from Mumbai, I presume?
November 9th, 2009 at 11:36
@donibrasco: That’s right, you cannot compare him to any of those strikers because he is so much more than all off them. Rooney is a complete player. He can do everything and play anywhere. Unlike those other players, he doesn’t just score but creates, tracks back and works hard all over the pitch. There is very little he cannot do but I still feel he is overworked and not rested enough which often causes him to struggle a bit. Rooney and Vidic are the only present world class players we have. The Barca story is probably bullshit but there is no denying it that he is the one and only English player that any other European power would love to have on their team.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:40
@Aditya: Ah mate, I think Nani has done a spectacular job of not delivering. And our wingers to not make us a better team. Krasic is a must and there is no reason why he would take long to fit in. He’s not a teenager and he is highly skilled and very intelligent. Also, the Russian League is not the Serbian League. It’s highly competitive and has many good players. He would make an instant mark in my opinion.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:42
@Onkar: Krasic in my view is a much better player than Ashley Young. He has a dynamic set skills and pace and can also play as a striker, not just as a winger.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:52
@Aditya: Yups… I think OWEN is also from MUMBAI… I wonder how he manages to fly week in week out to play for United…
But… Yeah I am from Mumbai and searching out for people who share the same tastes… And love united as much as I do…
November 9th, 2009 at 11:59
@Grognard: I agree 100%… I think I would like to keep it short and precise for me its crystal clear…..
Sell:
PIG
Carrick
NANI
+ 25mn annual transfer budget
=
Buy
Igor
Kasic
And if possible any other back up player (preferably striker who is a finisher).. In my eyes thats all what we need to take this team to next level (I feel)….
November 9th, 2009 at 12:27
@Onkar : Basically,I am from Powai,mumbai…
November 9th, 2009 at 12:36
If the daily express story is true it would be good news. We are short on a central defender with Rio struggling to stay fit. A goalkeeper would be nice so we can get him ready to take over next summer as number one. And with Nani misfiring and Valencia looking pretty mediocre a dangerous winger would be nice (with Obertan on the other wing!!).
There is definitely a financial motive here: most of the Ronaldo money Im sure went into paying our debts. But also because we do have young players coming through there is no point paying big money for established players with prices as inflated as they are now. The United way has always been to buy promising players with room for improvement and Akinfeev, Krasic and Kjaer fit that description.
I also want us to buy Hamsik. With Giggs and Scholes on the way out we need some class in midfield. Ljajic is a few seasons away from being ready and Hamsik would have good resale value and not be that expensive.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:50
So let me give MY perspective of the game. I always try and look at surrounding circumstances and how they would affect the game and players’ performances. Material and significant things like tactics, fitness, match minutes and consistencies in selection, the opponents and other things like consistency in maintaining tactics etc. Most people were satisfied by our general performance against Chelsea and I think it was with good reason. Some have described it as a good defensive performance, especially by the midfield, but I think that is quite misleading. A significant portion of the game was played in midfield and we clearly won that battle. We had more possession and I think we can then safely say it was Chelsea that had more of the defending to do in the middle. In fact our midfield created much better than that of Lampard, Deco,Ballack, Essien with Joe Cole. Anderson in particular put himself in good goalscoring positions and was let down by one or both of poor decision making and poor application by his teammates. His magnificent through pass to Rooney was undone by the blind linesman. Carrick set up Giggs from behind the centre line whose attempt at a lob was certainly ridiculous. But we can’t blame the midfield for not creating chances. Now let’s get something right also. Some are underplaying the fact that we did play better than Chelsea at the Bridge. We all expect United to run riot against each and every team we face. How many times have we witnessed Chelsea being dominated since 2004 by any team in the world? Moreover how many times has that happened at the Bridge? Even the all conquering, all dominating Barca failed to do so this year. How many chances did they create during that match? Very few chances. Now here we are expecting our team to run rings around their midfield and spray countless through balls and shred their defence to pieces. Are we still talking about the same team that has a 100% record at home and has conceded so very little in London over the past 5 or so years? That is currently playing the incredibly difficult to break down diamond formation. Please. The defence was quite solid and a lot of people are not talking about Brown’s performance. I thought he played the best of our back four. He won many battles in the air bravely and kept a cool head. Evans was fantastic also and special mention to his tai chi double assault on Drogba. I think it was a good all round performance from the team and I’m glad we didn’t play for the draw as others were suggesting we do. The referee was not influential in the result, along with his associates, he was decisive. So we can hold our heads up because there were a lot of positives to take from this match and we went down fighting. And competently at that
November 9th, 2009 at 12:50
After watching last night’s match, I really think for the good of the team we need to put Rooney back as a wing forward, with Berbatov through the middle. Our midfield 3 worked really well, but Giggs just isn’t good enough consistently to be relied upon as a third of an attacking trio. That’s 33% of our strike force not delivering a thing!
Would love to see this:
————-VDS———–
-Brown–Evans–Vida–Evra–
—–Fletcher–Carrick—–
———-Anderson———
-Valencia———Rooney—
———-Berbatov———
With Berba dropping to take down high balls and playing through to the wing forwards. Really that’s how we’d look the best, with our current personnel.
November 9th, 2009 at 13:14
Who else are having a hard time by blinded rival fans at school and work today?
November 9th, 2009 at 13:15
Thinking back to Andersons and Fletchers performance yesterday I am getting a boner. If Andy had scored on one of his runs I would have cummed…
November 9th, 2009 at 13:16
@Jay wire: If it was in my control i would have declared a bonus salary to EVANS to repeat the same Kung Fu kick on that Dogshit. Won’t be disappointed if he delivers on that Spanish Girl from Dippers…..
And how about VIDA is taking some training from EVANS on kick kick the player and head the ball at the same time. Imagine Monster VIDA is kicking players around… Priceless……
November 9th, 2009 at 13:16
I feel depressed today… Why, oh WHY, does it have to be international week at this time!?
School from 8:30 to 16:00 doesnt exactly help me either, this sucks.
November 9th, 2009 at 13:24
@Footy4Eddy: Yeah… These international breaks really sucks big time……….. Whats more it not only affects the week end but it also affects the whole two weeks… I mean even this place goes quite….. I really hate these international breaks…..
November 9th, 2009 at 13:36
@Footy4Eddy: I will tommorow as it was a holiday here in Pakistan today….
Don’t worry… Head held up high… The lads made me feckin Proud…
We’ll Never Die!
November 9th, 2009 at 13:36
@Grognard: Rooney is a jack of all trades but master of none. That might be good for a squad player, but not for the clubs talisman.
It’s been discussed here before, but i would rather rooney be converted into a attacking midfielder because he simply isn’t prolific enough in front of goal. When it comes to being a striker I would easily take Drogba,Torres or van persie over Rooney. Because when it come to being a pure striker Rooney is good but not great. He may be the better all around player, but he isn’t as effective as the others.
November 9th, 2009 at 14:11
It`s me against the world
Story of my day…
November 9th, 2009 at 14:30
@Beachryan – I dread the day Rooney is made to play on the wing again. That would be beyond criminal. It has severely affected his game and confidence and just when Don Capello had given him hope by playing him where he should (awakening our own manager), only to be played there again. You see the philosophy can still work with no need for a front 3 and a 3 man midfield. If we play a front 3 it means very limited options for all our left wingers. An attacking formation whether as 4-4-2 or something akin to that, will suffice. You need an energetic pair of central midfielders, one to focus on ball winning and breaking up play and the other on linking up with the front four. Berbatov on the tip of the attacking spear, setting up play for the interchanging Rooney, Tony and whoever else on the left wing. Andy coordinating that orchestra from the middle and Fletcher breaking up play. It’s quite similar to the system we played to devastating effect in 2006-2007 season. Saha at the tip, Rooney just behind, and interchanging with Giggs and Ronaldo. Only difference is back then Scholes and Carrick were playing very deep(both players having great long range passing ability). It was unpredictable, it was free flowing, entertaining and you could see the players enjoyed it and best of all it worked flawlessly. One thing that it effectively terminated was pointless crosses. As Eddy has always pointed out, it is futile to base your game on high crosses when none of your strikers are good in the air. This system is based on passing and off the ball movement. Since Adebayor left, Arsenal rarely bother with high crosses, and with Ronaldo gone why do we keep crossing high as if Rooney has springs underneath his boots? So we can’t agree on Rooney there.
November 9th, 2009 at 15:32
@ Jay Wire – fair enough, I understand your reasoning but I just don’t think our midfield is good enough in a 442. I guess we could play a bit more of a 4411 with Rooney in the hole, in fact I’m sure that is what we’re supposed to be doing when we play 442. However, he and Berbatov don’t have the discipline to actually lead the line, to force defenders back to create the space for the dropping off 1 to get into. When Berba and Roon play together they both keep doing the same things. And to be perfectly honest from the last 18 months I’d seriously take Berbatov over Rooney as a playmaker. Better first touch, better short passing, better flicks, better in the air, better dribbler…
I guess that might be controversial, but hey, it’s just an opinion. If we could somehow get a Rooney that would lead the line consistently, they can play together. But if not, i think we have to shunt him to the side to accomodate two similar players.
November 9th, 2009 at 15:50
Never thought i’d say this about a man but I miss ronaldo. We needed a finisher yesterday.
November 9th, 2009 at 16:32
@Johnsom33: What do you think of the following players – Totti, Baggio, Del Piero, Bergkamp and like? They were hardly prolific, were they? Yet these guys are revered as talisman of their clubs. Neither they were utilized as squad players, as you would suggest.
It is the worst-kept secret in football that Rooney is not an out-and-out striker like Drogba or Torres. And he is never going to be one as well. He flourishes best along with a goalscorer. Interestingly, you compared him to Van Persie who comes closest to him in style. Even RVP isnt prolific but he is doing a good job at the top since he has people like Arshavin, Cesc and Walcott for sharing the goal-scoring burden.
Personally, I would be OK with a regular striker up-top instead of Rooney but he just adds to much to our game that I would compensate that with a scoring winger. Even playing Rooney on the left isnt a taboo for me. The problem is that he gets obsessed with tracking back/maintaining the shape whenever as asked to play on the left. All he does is pump crosses into the box.
The tactics of the game are getting unfavorable and too ‘functional’ for the breed of second strikers these days. We would want to classify an attacking player as one out of striker, winger and attacking midfielder. This leads to the ‘jack of all trades’ stuff.
November 9th, 2009 at 16:33
What yesterday showed is how little our midfielders shoot. So often this season, other than maybe Scholes, when our midfielders get even a bit of an opening, they choose to pass. This I think is one reason Anderson has become so disgustingly bad, that and some rotten luck that has to have played havoc. If anyone plays golf even for fun, you know when you try think too much through your swing, you fuck it up. When your natural ability takes over and it’s just happening, you strike the ball a lot better. I think maybe that is what happens with Ando, thinks too much. He was a decent striker of the ball at Porto from little I saw of him in clips and such.
I am loathe to play Rooney on the wing but, yesterday was the ideal day for him to have done it. Had Berba been available, Rooney on the left would have been lethal. Giggs wasted a lot of balls for us. After Liverpool, hopefully SAF has come to realization that Scholes is not the man for big games and more for when teams are going to sit back and give you time on the ball. Giggs in my mind is a man for the big games but, off of the bench. Him coming on at 60-65 minutes in, after we’ve battled and withered the opposition down, he can run circles around them.
Our biggest issue seems to be (stealing what someone pointed out some place) is our reliance on wing play and to get crosses in. Rooney, Owen are not going to win many battles against central defenders in the air. Berbatov can but, even he is a bit weak in that respect, yet we keep trying to put high balls in. Balls whipped in at pace and low have to be the way but, then that is a low percentage cross as it is more likely to get intercepted at the first defender.
It is one reason I like Nani as a winger for us, he can cut inside and shoot – yet he seems destined (and coached) to take it to the byline and try get a cross in. Which is why right now Obertan is looking good to some people, not sure how good a left he has but, he doesn’t seem to be taking it down the wing like Nani and trying to get crosses in. Is consistently coming in field and linking up with our central players. This makes it seem like he is the better player because he is making the higher percentage passes. Nani can do the exact same thing – he did it quite a bit in the CSKA game but, like I said I think he is being coached to always go down the side and cross it in.
When teams find out Obertan is always going to cut in (if that is indeed what he is doing) then they’ll shut him off. Ryan Babel did this when he first came to the league, soon defenders were on to him and he became ineffective on the left. So be careful on praising him too much.
As for January window – I don’t think any player we buy then can effectively help our campaign this season but, the point that it is WC Year and prices in the summer would go up is reason enough to bring in one or two targets then.
I believe if this squad gives the same effort they did yesterday, we’ll be up there at the end. A draw for Arse/Chelski at end of month and we keep winning, we are only 3 points back. We still have to play Chelski at home – so the season is far from over. Points are going to be dropped by everyone, from here on out we have to make sure we drop as few as possible and for god sakes, find some finishing.
November 9th, 2009 at 16:54
@Shimo: As regards to too much wing-play, I suppose it is sought to be addressed by playing Giggs on one side and Valencia on the other. Giggs helps us play through the middle (e.g. Spurs away) while Valencia offers a more direct approach.
Even though our strikers arent exactly tall, it is generally very difficult in many games to play through the middle. As long as our midfielders/fullbacks put pressure and capture the second ball/rebounds from the crosses, we should be fine (against smaller teams atleast).
November 9th, 2009 at 18:11
henry winter match report in the telegraph on the chelsea-united game. a soothing read.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6516436/Chelsea-1-Manchester-United-0-match-report.html
“This was such a travesty of justice that Manchester United should follow Chelsea’s recent example and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Wayne Rooney was utterly brilliant, Darren Fletcher had Deco in one pocket and Michael Ballack in the other, while Patrice Evra mocked Ashley Cole’s billing as the world’s best left-back, yet the table shows Chelsea five points clear. Lady Luck was a blue-rinsed hussy strutting down the King’s Road merrily picking visitors’ pockets…”
November 9th, 2009 at 18:27
@Onkar: It’s simple for me to but my player choices are different.
Sell;
Nani
Rio
Pig
Release;
Scholes
Neville
EVDS
Buy;
Krasic
Neuer or Adler
Silva or Gourcuff
Kjaer
November 9th, 2009 at 18:33
@colver: I like Akinfeev but he is not in the class of the two German keepers. People should look at the goals he gave up this past weekend for CSKA in Russia vs Ruben Kazan. Pretty Foster like to be honest. Like Foster he is a very good shot stopper with reflexes and this unfortunately seduces many because that is what the untrained eye looks for. But there is so much more to keeping and fundamentally, he is inferior to the two Germans. He is a cheaper buy than them for a reason. Fergie has to ask the question, of whether he wants to solve his keeping situation for good and have a world class keeper for ten years or does he want to settle for a Plan B and roll the dice?
November 9th, 2009 at 18:37
@Beachryan: It’s really amazing how fickle fans get. For weeks Giggs was a god and could do no wrong and then he has a quiet game and we should retire him blah blah blah. As if Ronaldo, Best, Charlton, Cantona, Keane and other greats never had poor or average games against good competition. There is nothing wrong with Giggs and until we can buy a left winger with world class written all over him or until Obertan shows us he is the man, I am more than happy with Ryan Giggs playing as many games as possible. He never hurts this team with his presence.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:38
@Footy4Eddy: Anderson was good mate, he wasn’t brilliant. And I’d save the boners for the gitrls or we all might have some serious reservations about your preferences in life.
Truthfully, the only times I have gotten a “boner” recently while watching players do their stuff it has been watching the old school magic of Riquelme and the goalkeeping clinic the is Manuel Neuer.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:42
@Footy4Eddy: Football is royally fucked up with all these distracting and tiresome international breaks. It has become a joke and something to laugh at out of anger and frustration.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:43
@Onkar: They always show up during Champions League too, so that after the international, we have a few days rest only to go play in the CL.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:47
@Johnsom33: That’s your opinion mate. I can tell you right now that not only do I disagree, but nearly every manager, coach, tv analyst and expert on the game sides with me. So I’m not even going to bother to debate it. Yes there are better natural goal scorers but none of them have the wide variety of skills Rooney has. That curling shot from 22 yards yesterday that he almost scored on is not something you will see from 98% of the strikers out there. That my friend was world class all the way. It took a world class keeper to keep it out.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:49
@Shimo: Obertan definitely needs to show us his wide game of getting by defenders and crossing the ball in. Cutting in will eventually be taken away, I agree, but his dribbling skills and deceptiveness gives him options in that area and so lets see how his development goes.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:57
@bildani: Great article. Has that journalist been sacked yet by the London paper he works for? Johnsom33 should read what this man thinks of Rooney. The word “PEERLESS” crept up I believe. A sentiment I agree with. There is nobody in world football as gifted as Rooney playing his position.
November 9th, 2009 at 19:30
This is gonna sound funny coming from me, but people need to lay off giggs. I wanted him gone this summer but he has since made me eat crow. He has been fantastic this season for us. Yesterday he had a slow game, and it was his first game back and people are all over him.
At his age it is foolish to think he is gonna be great every game, but the cold hard truth is he is the best left sided player we have at the moment.
So lay off the old man
November 9th, 2009 at 19:45
Match report up. In case anyone’s interested. Also this is touching 300 comments. So you can move over to the new post.
November 9th, 2009 at 19:46
@Grognard: Henry Winter is one of the few journalists the Telegraph just can’t afford to sack. He’s just far too good for anyone to consider sacking.
November 9th, 2009 at 19:58
What people didn’t seem to notice is without Berbatov we play with a lot more pace and look a lot more dangerous. Rooney’s movement upfront gave Chelsea’s back four nightmares.
4-5-1 does often work for us against good sides but the real problem is that with our central midfielders playing deep and occupied with defensive work, we need our wingers to get forward and support the strikers and provide a goal threat.
Our best chances fell to Valencia and Giggs and they both screwed them up. In fixtures last season Park blew his fair share of chances as well.
Teams like Arsenal and Barcelona have players like Messi, Arshavin, Henry who are all capable of playing wide and scoring. But we do not have anyone fitting that description with the exception of Nani who is out in the cold.
There was a view that with Ronaldo gone we’d revert back to 4-4-2. But our central midfield just isn’t good enough to play a 4-4-2 against any good team. So 4-5-1/4-3-3 is the formation for us. That means no role for Berbatov as Rooney works best through the middle and it also means no role for Valencia who fits better into a 4-4-2. Obertan may sort out our problems on the left but it is time Fergie makes a decision on Nani. Either play him in the big games, or ditch him and buy someone else. Playing Park or Valencia as the safe option in big games just doesn’t cut it.
November 9th, 2009 at 20:34
@Johnsom33: Well said mate. I totally agree.
November 9th, 2009 at 20:35
@Red Ranter: It’s refreshing to know that there is somebody writing in London who calls it down the middle and gives northern clubs their due. Very refreshing indeed.
November 9th, 2009 at 23:33
@Footy4Eddy: here is some ando porn for ya
shiting on essien and cashley
November 10th, 2009 at 3:14
@colver: Don’t include me in that group mate, I think we operate much more efficiently without Berbatov. He requires special treatment and we just don’t have the help available, do we!
Your conclusion that a 5 man MF is the way to go is not my view however, certainly not with our current attacking corps. Rooney is not as dangerous playing the single striker, Berbatov has proved that he is unable to fill that role and Owen is just too small and dainty to pose any single handed threat.
We must create chances, but we must be able to convert them too!!