Feb 21
Lyon 1-1 Man Utd: Tevez Scores Crucial Goal
As mentioned yesterday, I am not in a position to write a match report, so here is a collection of reports I found on the mainstream media as well as some from our comments yesterday.
Benzema’s goal was a blow to the pit of the stomach delivered from nowhere but it had been coming. United were too often on the back foot and when Benzema was presented with a beautifully-timed pull-back, the stadium held its breath. The shot went over the bar.
For a horrible couple of seconds there would have been only one man gulping down a sharp intake of air and it was Rio Ferdinand. He was presented with a straightforward clearance, sliced the ball off his shin, and saw it career off behind him with Van der Sar hopelessly stranded. [Tim Rich from the Telegraph]
It is also safe to assume that United will be more penetrative and attack-minded on their own ground. Ferguson had left out Tevez so he could squeeze in Owen Hargreaves and deny Lyon the space to work their slick, triangular passing moves. The tactic was one of conservatism but, perhaps as a consequence, it meant the English champions were not as cohesive as usual when going forward. [Daniel Taylor on the Guardian]
Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted to come away on level terms after an uncomfortable evening in France, and his team are favourites to progress from the return leg of this last-16 tie in a fortnight.
The United boss will be wary, however, of the cutting edge Lyon possess in Benzema, a man his club have been constantly linked with.
His 24th goal of the season appeared to have eased the pressure on their manager Alain Perrin after a dressing down from outspoken owner Jean-Michel Aulas earlier in the week. [Paresh Soni on the BBC]
Use EXPERIENCE to see out games not to win games in the first place.
I can understand Fergie’s desire to use experience players like Giggs and Scholes in European games, however, when it comes at the expense of playing blossoming young talent like Nani and Tevez then questions need to be asked.
We looked alot more dangerous today when Tevez and Nani were on the pitch, no doubt about that. The pace and trickery puts opposition on the back foot when they have attacking players coming from every angle. Lyon were terrified of us in that last 20 minutes or so. This is the type of football we need to win games. Tevez has a goal every other game or something! And Nani is asist leader by a mile despite barely playing! His crossing is phenomenal and led to yet another goal tonight.
THEN, once ahead in games, it makes sense to bring on people like Giggs and Scholes. Experienced players, who know how to keep possession and see out games. Scholes is the master at slowing a game down and effortlessly keeping possession. Giggs too has the experience to know when to keep it simple and hold the ball.
Think this should be the CL team from now on:
—————–VDS
Brown—Ferdinand—Vidic—Evra
——–Hargreaves—Anderson
Ronaldo———Tevez———Nani
—————-Rooney
Then if a game is won, bring on Scholes for Tevez, and Giggs for Nani. Carrick has a role to play as well. His passing game is well suited for European games, and he can be usd interchangably with Hargreaves.
I just wonder if after seeing what happened tonight, Fergie will start to show more faith in the younger players. Scholes and Giggs definitely still have an important role, but it should be from the bench, not from the start.[Red Addict on our Comments Section]
Laser thing sucks, typically UEFA will just turn a blind eye to all bad things that happen on the continent. United would be kicked out if it happened at OT. Then again I don’t really know how to stop them, I mean the gizmos are tiny and could esaily get into the stadium, and then finding whoever has it would be really tough to, especially in real time.
Thought it was a professional if uninspired match last night. Lyon were tough to break down all night, and our goal had a least a little fortune around it. We didn’t create much before or after the subs. The thing with Giggs is that he can play very clever balls and can be quite effective, but more often then not he doesn’t seem to keep up with play. It’s either behind him when they’re attacking or in front of him when we’re attacking.
Scholes was alright, nothing special. He really needs more options in front of him when he play so centrally. You could see so many times he’d get hte ball in the circle, look up and just be like, oh, there’s rooney all alone with two giants marking him, here’s Giggs right next to me and Ronaldo is double teamed. So he’d just keep interchanging with Anderson. Not sure Carrick woudl have done any better.
Hargo is invaluable, but does give away the odd crucial foul. I also couldn’t believe he got booked after someone complained and asked hte ref to book him. Ref then booked the player for asking AND hargo. I don’t get it. The thing about Owen is that we don’t really need him against teams that play 4-5-1. Then again, with the amount of defending Ronaldo does, Hargo spends 90% of his time providing cover for Brown, cause Ronny is standing hands on hips on the halfway line looking back like, what me worry?
Have set ourselves up well, but if they score early could be a long night at OT![Beachryan on the Comments]
That game was very interesting indeed and United once again showed the patience and composure to fight back from a deficit to grab a very valuable draw and away goal. Didn’t you just get the feeling Tevez was gonna knock in a late goal? He has become more clutch and dependable than our beloved Rooney. Rooney is slowly but surely playing himself out of the hearts of many of his loyal followers. There comes a point when all the effort, running, attitude means little when the substance is not there. Bottom line is he is a striker and strikers are paid to score goals. He was never prolific to begin with but ever since his last foot injury he has not been the same. Plus, I am getting tired of his temper tantrums after every obvious foul or offside call made against him. Shut up and play already. He also seems tentative at times and quite often he shoots so quickly he doesn’t take the time to look and aim. He is really struggling to find his form. A perfect example was late in the game when Boumsong blocked a shot that Rooney just looked down and shot. There was a time he would look at a corner and aim a shot. Now he just rears back and fires. If I’m wrong about this that’s fine, it’s just my observation as a supporter. Not to long ago he used to crack them in like Benzema’s goal. WOW! Face it folks, if you want Benzema in United red, he will cost over 30 million to get. He’s looks like a stud not just because of his shot but his pace and overall ball control and skill.
Congrats to the lads today they did well. Now lets take care of the Looney Toons on Saturday and move on. [Grognard on the comments]
And that’s about it. Head over to yesterday’s thread to read plenty more of the comments and rants on the game. There is this issue on Ronaldo being dazzled by a laser beam (picture here). I wonder how UEFA is going to tackle this. In a day of such security such gizmos are still quite easy to get into the stadium. It’s a shame, really.
Related items from Red Rants:- Man Utd v Lyon: Preview
- Manchester United players need to do better
- Wigan 0-2 Man Utd: CHAMPIONEEES!
- Citeh 1-0 Reds: Unbelievable
- Lyon v Man Utd: Preview
Tags: Match Reports
February 21st, 2008 at 15:39
You dont strike me as much of a united fan wilfred, i mean you blast the players, the manager…. and also the fans, and talk of liverfool and their small fortunes……if you love them so much then take yourself right over to merseyside, united dont need fans like you!! It was only 5 days ago that i watched rooney make a mockery of the whole arsenal backline….there is no doubt he had the help of Andy and nani but on the day i thought rooney was fantastic.
February 21st, 2008 at 15:48
[wilfred]
Like it or not the League is the life blood of the club. Liverpool fans may have won the CL 5 times, but ask them honestly, and they will be ready to swap those for the league title. Yes, we could have won it even after ‘99 — we messed it up against Porto and Leverkusen — but I’d rather take the league title. The Champions’ League is a great thing to win, but I would be realistic about our chances there. I wouldn’t cry out loud and throw my toys if we don’t win it.
February 21st, 2008 at 15:57
It strikes me funny when people post such comments.. Till last year all fans used to compain that we can’t grind out results away in Europe. We aren’t tactically astute and can’t play the Milan style when we have to. We don’t have such players to do so. This season we have all of this. Now in hindsight, I think SAF has set a precedent of all our away knockout matches. We are all disappointed b’coz it was Lyon and not Milan. But this system will work very well away to San Siros and Bernebaus. SAF is just training his players to play like that, may it be against a comparitively weaker opposition
February 21st, 2008 at 16:06
Eh!? Willy wtf?!A few things I learned from the game yesterday.That Boy benzema is a player.I know he said he doesnt like england but we should spend our whole dam budget on him if possible.He is absolutely class.He was holding off vidic,ferdinand and his control was superb,his goal speaks for itself.30 million easily…absolutely easily. 20 years old? another thing is nani.Is it me or does he look twice the player he was when he first came.Ronaldo didnt do nothing and he played the whole game.Nani played 20 mins?He seems to have matured a lot.Giggs and scholes…I feel were playing with ten men with giggsy.Too slow,poor passing,no penetration…scholes is still ok.He went forward for the first time in ages yesterday.But carrick looks much better these days.Rooney needs to finish,were gonna get knocked out if he doesnt.The long ball wont work with him.He cant head!Tevez was superb,he is one of them big game players.But benzema….WOW
February 21st, 2008 at 16:13
I agree ustav,fergie is trying to make his players learn that style of football.But its just not working.I feel we should play with our strengths and thats attacking.There are two many brilliant players in the champions league(BENZEMA!)that can score a goal out of nothing.Yesterday the goal he scored wasnt even a chance.He had like 3 men around him and bang!If uve noticed also when we attack,teams dont have many chances because their too busy defending.(last 20 min yesterday).
February 21st, 2008 at 16:21
Wilfred, I dont think you understand the United way if you consider the CL to be of little importance. It wasnt the Busby way and it sure isnt the Fergie way. Being club champion of Europe is the ultimate in club football. Id trade many things for a few more nights like that night in May 1999.
In other news, Fergie has been sighted talking to Gerard Houllier and Karim Benzema after the game last night. There is video footage of this on SkySportsNews though I am unable to find it online. I have a sneaky feeling he will be making his way to Manchester in the summmer. Probably in exchange with Saha. Thats pure specuation, but those rumours have been bounded around before and theres no smoke without fire, as they say.
February 21st, 2008 at 16:23
Thanks for the thoughtful post Wilfred, please shut the door on the way out.
February 21st, 2008 at 16:32
willy made himself look like a complete arse.
February 21st, 2008 at 17:37
Hi there. I’m portuguese and I watch every MU game on TV including the one last night. My thoughts: all of MU bad games (against lyon is one of them according to me) have the same genesis: poor midfield play, pace, decision making, coverage. It’s time to ferguson to see what is obvious to me and many portuguese fans: hargreaves (starter in every poor united game) is not the future, he is an average player at best (in portugal he is considered mediocre, a bluff in the sense that he plays in a team whose standards he does not match). He lacks class, talent, good decision making, velocity with the ball and tries to makeup with effort witch is commendable but simply not enough. When he’s on the pitch the whole team plays at a slower pace and is easier to beat. That slower (sluggish) pace reflects on CR and Rooney: they don´t get the ball as much and most of the times when they do they’re already surrounded by opponents. Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher are much better and safer bets. As for scholes and giggs… well, it’s obvious that they are past their prime and that nani and anderson are already safer and more dangerous bets. It’s just life…
I want United to win the champions but I just don´t see how it can happen with hargreaves, scholes and giggs playing together at the same time… Lyon is an inferiour team but they could have scored again and with 2-0… We where lucky yesterday but against better teams (barcelona, milan real madrid, inter, chelsea, arsenal, liverpool) a display like that will get us out of the CL for good.
Your thoughts?
PS: sorry for gramatical errors
February 21st, 2008 at 17:38
i know il get murdered for this but Rooney or benzema?
February 21st, 2008 at 17:44
do you mean rooney FOR benzema?
February 21st, 2008 at 17:44
wily the penis.
February 21st, 2008 at 17:46
Rooney. I just love this guy! And, above all, he loves playing for United. Not like Benzema, who “prefers Italy or Spain”.
February 21st, 2008 at 17:46
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT, an exchange deal rooney for benzema, if rooney fails to get past 14 goals this season then…
February 21st, 2008 at 17:49
I agree. If Rooney fails to get past 10 goals this season, then he surely has to go. Shame that he has already scored 11 then.
February 21st, 2008 at 17:52
shame it was a mistake then.
February 21st, 2008 at 18:04
Haa, Benzema is the French Rooney, if …no when Benzema has a poor patch you’d all be saying to get rid of him too. Keeping Rooney and Tvez and gaining benzema would be brilliant.
February 21st, 2008 at 18:11
Benzema Benzema Benzema! That’s all we’re going to hear now for God knows how long. Lokk the lad looks special and I for one would love to have him play for ManU but lets get serious for a second. United has more than one nagging need to address this off season. Do we have the transfer kitty of 30 or 40 million for one player? That’s what it will take and you know that in England only one team can make a purchase like that and not blink. And if Chelski don’t get him, Arsenal might because Wenger has been hoarding cash for a few years now. United is in too much debt and financial caution to dump mtheir entire transfer budget on one player. The Glazer’s are not in as precarious a position as the two American muppets running Liverpool but remember that the Glazer’s are in debt and that the American dollar has collapsed for them as well, not to mention the increase in interest rates. I’m sure they will give Fergie some quality cash to get what he needs but will they fork over the necessary cash for a purchase like Benzema? Well all I can say is I will be over the moon if they do. The kid looks like a true stud and his goal against us yesterday was not only pure class but was a classic case of making something out of nothing. What quickness, awareness and what a shot. To hit it that hard while keeping it low is truly special.
United is once again in the news about Philip Lahm of Bayern. God I hope they get this player. He is just what the doctor ordered at RB/RWB. His runs are fantastic, he has great ball control, he is an excellent passer and he can also score the odd fantastic goal.
Most importantly, he world class at either LB/LWB or RB/RWB, so the versatility is also a plus. Barcelona want him too but I think United can pip them for his services because of his friendship with one Owen Hargreaves as well as his desire to play in the BPL. Still, money talks and Barcelona are willing to pay 8.5 Mil for him. United should be prepared to pay 10 to get him. He is a much better solution in that position then Bosingwa.
Finally let me echo some of the concerns many have had out there over the lack of finishing from our beloved Wayne Rooney. Nobody should ever question the commitment and effort given by this lad. On a bad day he is better at more things than most of his counterparts in the world. But strikers are paid to score and Wayne has lost his touch around goal. He may regain it but lets face it folks, he was never an out out pure goal scoring machine. Some of you have echoed my statement from the past that he reminds me of Paul Scholes from his early career. Yes he was better than Paul at scoring but he may be most valuable to United as an attacking midfielder. He scores beautiful goal and is a good passer with great vision. He is not a poacher so playing him in that role or directly behind an out and out striker is the key. Throwing him out as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 is not utilizing him correctly if it is goals you want from him. As for Tevez, he proved me right yet again yesterday as he came off the bench in SUPER SUB style to score the vital goal. Keep him as a super sub and start him once in a while but his energy and enthusiasm coming in with less than 30 minutes to go against a tired defense is just what the doctor ordered. Therefore, buying a true striker like Huntelaar, Berbatov, Benzema etc is a must. Also a must is to try to get 10 mil in a sale of Saha.
February 21st, 2008 at 18:36
im sorry i have to ask how old are you?
February 21st, 2008 at 18:57
wilfred seriously, go find your piggy bank, find 2p buy yourself a dippers jersey and GFY, if you think that the 98/99 campaign was a fluke then tell me do you recall the entire season, united played nothing but tough opponents, they played in the toughest league, along with bayern munich, barcelona themselves and FC brondby, we were able to qualify second, not an easy feat, after we had inter milan followed by the semi finals against juventus which in my mind was one of uniteds greatest ever european nights against juve at turin where roy keane inspired a world class comeback, now do you call that a fluke, do you call holding then world player of the year ronaldo quiet a fluke, and one of the greatest comebacks in turin where no other english team has ever won to score 3 goals in one half with 10 men a fluke, wake up and smell the coffee that campaign was not a fluke it was destiny accompanied by the other destiny known as the treble becoming the fourth team to ever accomplish the feat so please think before you make a statement as audacious and stupid like that ever again on this blog
why are people raining down hard to wazza in my opinion hes on a low point of his career and im happy it has come now in february rather in april-may known as squeaky bum time where rooney produces some of his best form, rooney unlike ronaldo, tends to appear in the big games, and last night he did not do that i feel hes going through personal problems or is just plain unlucky, people are saying he should not be a striker because he cant finish, even the great puskas had dry spells where no goals would come in, yet on big occasions he did not disappoint, remember last year april, united vs AC milan 2-1 down, cometh the hour cometh the Rooney two goals to uplift ourselves from near self destruction and gave us a chance to reach the champions league final, but it was not meant to be, this season i feel it is our time, and we will make it, just stop being so hard on rooney, if he was shite then fergie would not play him, like someone pointed out its hard to win away in the champions league only one team managed that, which is barcalona were in pole position to knock out lyon because they have to come to old trafford where was have only conceeded around 12 goals there season and play breathtaking football thats when rooney will step up, until then stop being dipper fans and go hard on a player because of one bad performance, and most importantly stop being fair-weather fans support your players through hard times, not just the good
February 21st, 2008 at 18:58
Wilfred; I may believe that the BPL is United’s life blood but I have never put down our desire to do well in the CL. Actually I am a very bg fan of the old European Cup format and I wish they would go back to that so that all games have do or die meaning.
As for Sir Alex Ferguson; come on mate. How in Gods name you can sit there and play comparison game against the greatest manager in British footballing history is beyond me? Clough, Paisely, Shankly and even Sir Matt Busby are very well respected and great managers in the history of the game, but none of them have the record of Sir Alex in England. Yes the Liverpool pair and Clough may have won more European Cups but they also competed in the old format where they never had to play as many games and many of the early draws were a cake walk. Fergie has had to compete in the modern updated and very international BPL and a mauch larger and highly competitive CL that allows more top quality teams in the competition, not just league champions. His record in Europe is also impressive even if he has only won the CL once. Many great managers have never won it once. And no team with one manager has had the dominance for as long as United have had it under Ferguson. In stiffer competition he has excelled at all levels and has shown his ability to learn and adapt. Watch the Cantona and Hughes years and see how different a game we play today. No longer do we send so many long balls down field. We pay the ball on the ground and we really utilize individual players skill sets to better breach a team’s defenses. We play a much more European continental game as well as adding a little South American charm to things. Are game is a refined hybrid of many styles.
Sorry mate but you are missing the boat here and your comments are just wrong. Also, please spell better as I’m having a real hard time making out what you are saying. I cannot stand crappy and lazy abbreviations to nearly every verb and adjective. It’s inconsiderate to the people you hope read your posts. I’m not trying to be rude, just helpful. It also makes you come across as a kid. Are you a kid?
February 21st, 2008 at 19:07
I often feel for Rooney, just hope SAF continues to have faith in him. He’ll come good. He does create a lot, particularly given the service he gets, which isn’t always stellar (arsenal match aside). I agree with most posters on here, he’s just not a striker, much better in the hole. I think even SAF would agree, however we lack a real striker so we have to do with what we have.
Anyone know why Manucho isn’t playing for Panathanikos in the UEFA cup?
February 21st, 2008 at 19:08
sorry grognard, but anybody who claims there a united fan and praises the scouse dont know jack about united and is most likely a child.
February 21st, 2008 at 19:09
Mr Muhozi; If you look at his entire career as a forward, Rooney’s goal tally has not been that impressive. Yes he scores beautiful goals and he offers so much more but he could also do that as an attacking midfielder where his requirement to score goals is diminished. Whatever the reasons are for his dip in form is not really the point. The point is that as much he is loved, appreciated and respected by our legion of fans worldwide, he is not a goal poacher and he is not Ruud van Nistelrooy. We need a RVN badly or a lot of the classy buildup we do into the box goes to waste. We need to stop expecting the stars and the moon from Ronaldo and ask him to play a more traditional winger role. If you think I’m wrong that’s fine, but one thing is certain, Rooney is not getting the job done as a goal scorer.
I’m not saying bench him or transfer him. Just reposition him so that goal scoring emphasis is not his primary duty. Let his other skills be the showcase. It worked for Scholes 10 years ago.
February 21st, 2008 at 19:10
Come on, people! How can anyone say that Rooney can’t finish? Where to start? Newcastle? Middlesbrough? AC Milan? You all know that he’ll be at his best in the latter stages of the CL, but you still talk about him like he’s some sort of an amateur, unproven forward. It’s a shame.
February 21st, 2008 at 19:14
Dan; He probably is a kid but the fact is clear he knows very little about ManU. For a kid his memories seem to be rooted in the 60’s and 70’s though. Still, he makes no sense at all.
One thing I won’t tolerate is posts that question the career of Fergie. Yes he makes the odd tactical mistake but the man is a living legend with very few peers.
February 21st, 2008 at 19:30
well grognard iam not telling fergie is a bad manager but u know other clubs have also the same format
these days playin n number of games then wy is ancelotti able to win more cl games than fergie,
u might say that they dont compete on all fronts thts understandable but we need to win Cl
so that we can be remembered as champions both home and away and Dan stop whining like a scouse
i just told that they have more cl wins jack ass grognard is much more mature thaan u u frikin lily put
February 21st, 2008 at 19:51
United is supposed to be an offensie team, always on the attack, but you cant exactly do that in places like Nou Camp, Bernabeu, San Siro and Stade Gerland! Fergie is a brilliant manager, and you guys should know that. If he thinks like this: “Play defensivly and tryto see the game out. Get an away goal and a draw, and then win at home!” I will be pleased. If he thinks like this: “Play them off the park, try to score as many goals as goals as you can. Just think about attacking!” I would be happy to see them play beautiful football and score many goals, but when you play against teams that think they are the best in the world the result may prove good or great, but most likely we are going to lose after conseding goals on the counter attacks. Teams like Barca, Real, Inter and AC Milan have the best defenders in the world. You have to be a tactical genius to get the result that will make you win and make the players and the fans happy! Now I ask you: Play amazing and lose/draw, or defend and try to score a goal, and you win the game?
BTW; Rooney over Benzema every day! Cant believe someone is asking that question. Rooney loves United, he IS A GREAT STRIKER, amazing work rate, great vision, good shot, fast, good dribbler, strong and he gives the team another dimension! Benzema can only be used as a striker, good shot, fast, strong and good control and dribbler! He doesnt work so hard for the team, he prefers Italy or Spain(:-o) over England and he isnt so much of a team player! Rooney is perfect for United and United is perfect for Rooney!
P.S. Wirlfred, what you are saying makes nosense, it seems like the only United game you saw was yesterdays game. And you are basing United on how many trophies weve got, not the results and brilliant play. You, as a Liverpool fan, should know that `Pool have gone many years without winning the league! Maybe they were the best a long time ago, but so was Nottingham Forest! Get a life dude!
February 21st, 2008 at 19:56
BTW, you got problems!
February 21st, 2008 at 20:00
[Wilfred] You said this:
urself that this was a fergie
master stroke,the ball bounced unforunately in front of goal for lyon…dude get a grip
To be honest, Lyon’s goal was also pretty much against the run of play. Their goal was scored — despite us crowding the hell out of Benzema — by a moment of genius. So I thought, given the circumstances, it was an away game and a well contested one at that, 1-1 was a fair result.
And if you choose to view it (our goal) that way, every goal can be broken down like that.
February 21st, 2008 at 20:48
Rooney was better before.I have no doubts.He took chances with ease.his debut…and even the several games against arsenal.Grognard you said he scores wonderful goals but tbh He hasnt done it for a long time.He misses too many chances.His work rate is great,creates goals and everything but he should put away his chances.Benzema is class,fergie knows that.Hes been talking bout him for some time.its the most his talked bout a player.Endless compliments…Right now i would take benzema.I like clinical strikers.If u want to win a trophy(not the league) work rate wont give u shit.Remember the fa cup final?workrate but nothing!look at Milan.Inzaghi doesnt work hard but he wins them games.The final last year and other qualifiers.Im sorry if i prefer benzema to rooney.But that bit of class is what separates winners from losers.Not workrate.Workrate is a plus but to win,finishing is needed.In a final you might get one chance.go back to 1999 and see what would have happened if we didnt score them chances.If rooney would have a clinical partner, i wouldnt mind but to rely on him to put away the vital goals.Not this present day rooney.
February 21st, 2008 at 20:51
I have also seen the video in which Sir ALex congratulates Benzema for scoring the goal and Gerrard Houllier standing-by. I know I maybe reading too much into it but looking at the way Sir ALex and Benzema were smiling it looks like a done-deal for the summer
February 21st, 2008 at 20:52
(wilfred)
United’s goal:matter of luck? You make your own luck… And we had enough shots/possesion to have had our piece of luck.
February 21st, 2008 at 20:52
Remember the brazilian ronaldo.That was a striker.That type of player we should try to buy.A pure striker
February 21st, 2008 at 20:59
I havent seen this video but please God let him join!Theres something bout the player.Although he said he likes spain or italy.Wish fergie could tap him up
February 21st, 2008 at 21:07
shut the fuck up you stupid little child, the only person ‘whining here is YOU, when you grow up you’ll learn that people work hard for what they get and provide for their families, you dont deserve united at ALL, you just come here out of the blue and think you know everything, you think we should believe you just because you know the names of a few fancy managers well fuck off, we dont need you, how dare you, you come bum licking those dirty scousers and basicly saying, endless fa cup victories, premier league titles and a champions league title isnt good enough? then compare us to the scouse, NEWSFLASH, the scouse got beat by barnsley, yea we should be just like them right, fucking ignorant cock.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:15
its a good thing im not asian you dick, piss of no one wants you here, go away.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:21
fucking hell, you just dised the season ticket and the season ticket holders, it’s easy to by a season ticket anyway that doesnt mean your a fan of the club. look there is only enough room for 1 scouse at united mmmmk little brat.
im attacking like a scouse? you were the one praising them a second ago, look if you want to seem atleat little legit, atleat keep your story straight.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:22
No-one should doubt Rooneys ability or indeed his overall finishing. He is in a barren run but his career has been that!! Strikers of his nature(support strikers) tend to go 3-8 games not scoring and then hit a purple patch.
The talk of Benzema signing is irrelavent at this time, though i agree with Grognard the best avenue to bring him in is through Saha. Aulas in the past has shun Utds advances on Lyons playing staff by overpricing(essien/diarra) and i believe he will be stubborn again. The other thing with the Saha trade is that Utd will still have to fork out 10+million and Saha wouldn’t fancy the switch. I suggest Utd enquire about Benzema because his talent merits that, and sew up a future deal if Lyon keep him for the following season.
Benzema can play centre forward and Left wing-Forward, rated in the 20-25million price range. Although he claimed loyalty to his parent club pre-game, that was likely due to speculation unsettling his coaching staff.
Iam a fan of all Utds strikers present at this time (Wazza,Tevez,Saha,Wellbeck) With Manucho to come in we have another option next year but i wouldnt appose a CF joing espeically granted Saha’s age will only enhance his injury proness.
All in all the Lyon result was good im still confident of a serious challenge for the CL this year, and although i sigh at Fergies tactical lineups sometimes he pulls it off.
Beachryan- Manucho joined up with his team-mates earlier in the week hasn’t settled in Greece yet.
Loved the Cantona interview Sky ran what a legend!!
February 21st, 2008 at 21:29
guys he is just taking a piss and it is fun for him to wind you up so just choose to ignore or enjoy his comments for their entertainment value. but dont bust a nut over it.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:31
yep your right gator, we(me) should ignore him.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:32
hi, in regards to dans comments in the last post, is kerlon really joining?
February 21st, 2008 at 21:42
wilfred, its enough for a dipper to come on here and pretend they support united, but to make up silly things like u had shares in the club is just ridiculous. and money is the only thing that is important? yh u sound like a true fan.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:48
No im not going to. Listen Wilfred. Im an asian fan. That too only for the past 8 years. And I can still confidently tell you im a better fan than you are coz I have something that you don’t loyalty. I’ve seen stuck up pricks like you who think that just coz they buy season tickets and the others don’t they become the true fans. Stupid shit. You’re just some old timer whoze stuck up with the past. “I used to own their shares”. good for you. I would have if could. But i accept the team as it is now. Man, you should’ve been supporting some team like DErby. Just coz you pay big prices doesn’t mean you can demand trophies. Move over. noone forced you. there are enough people to take your place. You’re like a bitch who runs to the club which wins something. AAAAAAAAAAw Liverpool seems to be better coz they had 1 better result. Go there than. And ya probably we are “FAKE” fans and in our own stuck up world, maybe. So if you don’t like it too bad just don’t come here. Noone’s inviting you
February 21st, 2008 at 21:53
RR please ban this dude.
February 21st, 2008 at 21:54
amen utsav!
February 21st, 2008 at 22:00
wy cant you spell why?, why cant you spell simple primary school words(since thats where you right now) why are you racist?why are you even here?.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:00
Screw you if you think we don’t pay. With out sounding to technical: Television revenue is the largest source of revenue for any club. have you heard of that: TV Revenue. The very fact that i stay up and watch each and every match means i am. And even if im not, wtf is your problem? You also don’t pay it. noones asking you to. Move over. United season tickets have a long waitlist. Don’t give shit excuses here.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:09
And everyone else, please don’t abuse this fellow.. We don’t wanna stoop to his level.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:10
Wilfred,1.”u sound like ur a south east asian fan ” common sense would indicate that as his name is Dan, he isn’t asian. Although you clearly don’t seem to care much for common sense as if you used it you would either just stop writing on this site or start typing properly and actually start trying to make some sense. 2: What is it with you and talking about peoples’ jobs?: “Dan wats ur job dude and “Mr.Muzhoi get a life got a proper job eh..???? I mean it’s either a pretty weird obsession or a really poor attempt at annoying people, I mean, you must be able to come up with something better than that? Unless you really are a kid? A kid who’s trying to disguise himself as a Manchester United fan but is actually a Liverpool fan? If not you’re a very weird type of United supporter… And 3. Seriously what is the point in all of this? Trying to get people annoyed over the internet is boring, stupid and quite frankly, rarely even works. So just leave it or start talking like a normal person.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:16
Conor. He hasn’t annoyed me at all. Just figured that if we stop replying to him, he may think he won (being the kid he seems).. So just counter all his flippant points (as all are)… And your post really cracked me up.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:29
looks like we wont need to waste are breath(or energy typing) as it seems wilfred has left the building.
February 21st, 2008 at 22:29
Lol conor!
February 21st, 2008 at 22:31
Damn, just when i was begining to have fun.. lol
February 21st, 2008 at 22:42
seriously though, what a bloody embarrassment.
February 21st, 2008 at 23:01
Was that dude for real?I mean some of the things he says are just crazy ha ha ha
February 21st, 2008 at 23:02
He owns Shares wtf!ha ha ha
February 21st, 2008 at 23:42
Wow! Just when I was away so much happened.
Nevermind, I just banned him. He seemed to lose it, all of a sudden. And yes, I am pretty sure he’s not from anywhere near England or Europe. So much for being anti Asian!
February 22nd, 2008 at 0:24
post 29 RED Ranter… you say it all…. i couldnt agree more…. Rooney is a GREAT striker!! Im glad eveyrone was as outraged as i was at wilf’s gurning!!! haha! =]
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:09
I think that United should be concentrated on the UCL, because that is the real deal. If you want to be recognized as a big club you need to win the Uefa Champions League more than twice. We have to win it because this looks like our year.
And I think that with Anderson-Carrick in the midfield and Nani-Ronaldo as wingers we play much better.
Go Red Devils
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:40
Grognard, fair point i do agree but i like rooney in the second striker mold it suits him really well and he is a beast when paired with tevez, but a goal scoring record to me does not mean anything, you can score a goal once every game, but its your other contributions that matter, and to me rooney contributes a lot,in my opinion, what i think has happened to rooney is he has let all this pressure get to him, and rather then just ignoring it, he tries to do it all which leads to him making many a mistakes, he wants to go for the spectacular all the time, hence his chips, but this will change with age, you all forget the guy is 22, he will improve as he matures, he has all the raw ingredients and in-tangibles needed to be a world class player, all that is missing is maturity and under fergies guidance he will really excel just give him time
We all follow united- i think kerlon will not be joining us, hes like the brasilian saha just gets injured from nothing, hes a fantastic player great skill and a raw talent, but his injury problems are too much
Taher- ronaldo was one of a kind, its a shame PSV gave him growth inducing hormonal drugs which therefore led to his injury problems later on, if he could stay fit for a whole season, he would have probably scored 800 goals by now, it would have been a lot better for brasil too, i guess it was not meant to be, the next player from brasil like ronaldo is alexendre pato, this guy is already lighting up serie a and i wish we had bought him, to my knowledge no other young brasilian striker springs to mind that could develop into a world beater, jo could be but i need to see him in a more competitive league than the russian one
as far as strikers goes for united, who i want is huntelaar followed by benzema, but my dream would be for adriano to come to united, he would be a beast in the epl, his height strength speed forward play would be a lot to handle for most defences, and he would add extra dimensions to the attack and had or rather had, THEE deadliest left foot in football hes regained his form in sao paulo scoring 5 in 8 games which is no easy feat in the brasilian league his brasil record is also crazy to 25 in 37 as well as best player in the 2005 confederations cup, on the other hand looking at our youth with welbeck brandy and campbell i believe we do not need to buy a striker, and i have a very strong feeling manucho will be massive for us in the up coming seasons once he has attained a work permit, therefore i believe we do not need a striker in the future, but right now we do, but we can not do anything about it except for to pray rooney and tevez do not get injured as saha is odds on favourite to be injured again
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:48
Does anyone know why Manucho didn’t play against Rangers?
He couldn’t of been cup-tied… Did Panathanikos not register him or something?
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:55
I can understand the point of view of the people “getting disappointed” with Rooney and where they are coming from. When I saw him at the last Euro Championships, he was wow before he got injured. I thought he’d atleast be a one goal in two matches person. I remember the he used to be deadly around the box. He used to to use his power and run at defenders. But all that seems invisible now. The boy has just been reduced to a “team player” who is an extrememly important for “link up play”. But he’s a striker and he must do what a striker does. Just a food for thought: This may be due to arrival of Tevez. I think ever since Tevez has been playing, SAF has made Rooney play right upfront. And Rooney lacks the assets(lol) of a good CF. He’s not tall, only a decent amount of pace and not really a cool finisher. Not to mention the time and energy he spends dropping a bit deep to defend and then running all the way up again. All this means he looks like a shadow of the super-kid we bounght in 2004. But he’s only 22 and I don’t think anyone of us thinks that this fellow can even be considered to be on the transfer list. Wish SAF tells him to screw coming back, just hang around the box and have a go like he used to. Especially when he’s in a goal drought, he looks like he’s carrying the pressure of the world and tries too hard. But I can understand if SAF get a good CF i.e. Manucho, Benzema, Huntelaar or even Berbatov, that Rooney and Tevez would have to be rotated.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:57
Shawsy: post 29 is RedDevil and not RR…
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:12
as we debate bout benzema, lets not forget that we have manucho and welbeck to pull off from our magic hat, i think they should be given the chance to at least prove themselves. there is a reason as to why they are manutd players
willy the dicky i really feel sorry for you mate, your comment 1 really sucks.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:42
I think we have spent far too much effort and time going after Wilfred. It’s bad enough he is a pillock and a total muppet, now he has to deal with the wrath of the Red Devil nation. Poor fucking sod! Perhaps he should crawl back into his hole and have bowl of Scouse. Let him be and perhaps he will do us all a favor and just blow away.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:57
I think the Rooney as a CF experiment will be a one season phenomenom. SAF has to utilise the players he has, and at the start of this season he only had Saha to play as a traditional CF, so he tried to transition Rooney into that as an option. It made sense, he’s good at playing on the last man (see Euro) he is strong with both feet, has good control - but it just didn’t work out the way SAF planned. Injuries, suspensions and a bunch of isolated roles have left him woefully short on goals by his standards. Maybe he’ll go on a burst (a hat trick against the barcodes wouldn’t hurt) and show Fergie he can play up top. If not, I think Manucho will get a run out next year, as will Wellbeck, and Fergie will revaluate. Personally I don’t want to splash out another massive load of cash on a Benzema, we just bought Tevez and Manucho. Plus if we don’t give Wellbeck a chance, what does it say about our youth setup? I can’t remember the last player to actually jump into the 1st team, presumably O’Shea and to a much smaller extent Eaglegs? It’s sad that we’ve turned our back on that tradition, but maybe that’s the reality of world football.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:57
Obviously happy to get the away goal. But…… WHY DOES HE PLAY 4-3-3!!?? I couldnt believe when i saw the team! Rooney doesn’t get any support because Anderson has been told not to go too far forward. Also i personally think that Hargreaves is a bit of a disappointment so far. Not only can he not play 2 matches in a week but he doesnt really do anything when we are in possession. I would prefer to see carrick in that team at the top of the page! Lets hope Carlito can keep scoring these late goals!!!
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:51
1 hargreaves has played 2 matches in a week, 2 what do you expect from him?
February 22nd, 2008 at 13:37
Just feel that for £17million a footballer should do a little more on the ball than he is at the moment. Btw he hasnt played 2 in the week? Wat u think of him?
February 22nd, 2008 at 16:28
i stand corrected utsav
February 22nd, 2008 at 18:30
Jacko; Hargreaves is an exceptional defensive midfielder. His job is simple, stop the other team’s attempt to build. His role is not to be an offensive force. Although he is a decent passer and can be if given a chance a tremendous free kick taker, he has a very one-dimensional role. That was what he was bought for. Overall his performances have been good considering the injury he was getting over from as well, the injuries he has sustained since. The best is yet to come from him but it will probably be next season.