Sep 18
Man Utd 0-0 Villarreal: Ronaldo Returns
I couldn’t get to see the entire match because of work commitments so I’d suggest readers to look over yesterday’s comments to get varied opinions on the game.
But, by and large, despite the result, I wouldn’t be too concerned about the result and I would take positives out of the game. Also from Ferguson’s comments post match, it appeared so too.
Firstly, we did play well overall. There was good movement and some players showed enough desire to want the ball. Park was especially impressive in that regard.
We didn’t have the spark for all our efforts, and it would have been a shame had Villarreal gone in front. Ronaldo’s entry changed that, but more on him later.
Nani’s performance was encouraging, and the likes of Berbatov would be encouraged by the consistency of his delivery over the crap service of the likes of Aaron Lennon.
Hargreaves started which was good to see because we need his presence in midfield against Chelsea. I would say the same of Fletcher too — and it would be unfair to drop, arguably, our most consistent performer of the season so far. He’s a big game player too — in the words of the boss himself — so I hope Fletch starts against Chelsea.
Jonny Evans was impressive and whilst Villarreal cannot possibly compare with the physicality of Chelsea, with Neville looking out of sorts, it looks like his steady performance today could tempt Fergie into taking a chance on him against Chelsea. I am not sure about the need for the chance, but I don’t see a better right back at the moment than Brown. Neville, despite my love for him, has done little to suggest he belongs in the first XI.
Finally, Ronaldo’s entry: the moment he warmed up and stepped on to the pitch he was applauded and more importantly I am pretty sure I heard Ronaldo chants [correct me if I'm wrong].
I am sure I am going to get detractors jumping on my back, but then I can’t be too bothered about saying what I want to say here anyway. The applause was heart warming, but Ronaldo chants already? Give me a break! Can players get away with anything then? Personally I just can’t imagine dedicating chants for him yet.
Ronaldo’s prescience proved right “When I play the fans will love me again“. You win Ronaldo. Oh well… it’s something I’ll have to live with then.
On to Chelsea and while this game was about testing waters with players returning from injury, I would have preferred a win like any fan would. Chelsea is a different beast in every sense of the word. John Terry got his card rescinded (un-fuckin’ believable!) and the US treasury is now our official shirt sponsor (since it now owns AIG). But more on that tomorrow.
Adios Red Chums!
Related items from Red Rants:
- Porto it is then…
- Rooney Out For A Month
- Manchester United’s 08/09 Champions’ League Opponents
- Man Utd Blog 2007/2008 Home Kit
- Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd: Questions Galore for Fergie
Tags: Match Reports · UEFA Champions' League
Opti (541)
Stephen (479)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Red Ranter: My hunch is, that the brutal verbal abusing of referees by Chelsea players, and the effectiveness of it at getting them free kicks and penalties has a lot to do with their home wins
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@Red Ranter: yeah, i meant to imply that
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@Craig Mc: and that too..
..anyways, how do you guys reckon we beat them at their home, considering they have such an effective system there?
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@Gabriel: kick them rentboys of the fucking park…..oh fuck!! thats what they do. I suggest kidnap Abrahmovic and the ransom is to lose to us or we pop his head off. Me thinks that should defenitely work…don’t you??!!
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Sidarth, just like Gabriel and Penguin, you are a glutton for punishment. Confidence player my arse, the world class players are always confident, and arrogant most of them in their ability. Could you imagine Ronnie lacking confidence in his ability, because he was getting a little criticism?. No I thought not. Ronnie has been criticised to the full apex of criticism by most of the United faithful, many saying he’s rubbish, selfish, egotistical, not a team player etc etc feckin etc. Yet he still comes out and proclaims he is a great player, and will get greater. He BELIEVES you see. Players who have the ability to be absolutel world class, but somehow come short of it in the end, a lot of it has to do with BELIEVING and continuing to believe you are the best. If head goes down every time somebody says they feel you are not where you should be, then you stopped believing. I don’t believe the Roon believes he is or will be one of the best in the world. Whereas Tevez, and even Nani are all over the press recently saying we are going to work until we bleed, so that we can be named amongst the best players of world football. That’s a philosophy I believe in, and I have never heard Rooney say that about himself. If you have belief in your ability, then you can go a long way to becoming the player, everybody else but you believes you can be, and should be on the way too. I haven’t seen any progress in Rooney, he was magic when he came to us, so I cannot see things the way Gabriel, Penguin and you do. I am willing to stand alone against the Roon fans on this issue though, but I hope Rooney proves me 100% wrong, because I don’t get any joy out of seeing him still where he is.
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@Sidharth:
What do you think this is, the Godfather? wait, Abramovich is in the mafia, isn’t he?? 
…
Guess he’ll have done a couple of kidnappings himself, so might know how to prevent one
Maybe we should play ‘em off the park, turn on the joga bonito
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And by the way folks, if Rooney cared about being among the greatest players in the game, he would have been like his fellow professionals, and not returned to training looking like a beached whale from overload of weight increase, smoking, and drinking. He insulted his team mates by coming back to preseason training in such a state. Did any other of the players come back like that – NO they feckin didn’t. If Rooney really wants to be a great footballer, he would keep himself in the best shape he could be in ALWAYS. I know many of the United fans (apart from Rooney obsessives) who believe this.
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@Gabriel: Like I said Bro, pray for a miracle
. If our midfield can somehow outplay or stifle theirs, I think we may have a fair chance. We better have a feckin goalscorer on the field though 
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@Red Ranter:
, yeah Bro I meant that Penguins beloved Rooney 
. Sometimes my fingers are faster than my thoughts 
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@Craig Mc: There’s a difference between belief and confidence. Belief is when the players knows that he is good enough to get out of a situation and I am pretty sure Rooney believes (as do I) that he will get out of his goal scoring rut sooner rather than later.He still contributes immensely to other facets of the team’s performance
A player’s confidence can be shaken if everyone on the outside starts to doubt him. Give him a fucking break mate, he is human!!! I still believe that him being made the scape goat by the media has really started to get to him. Plus Fergie playing him everywhere but his preferred position (this is an important point mate don’t deny it…it is not an excuse) makes it more difficult for a guy to play himself out of a rough spot.
I do believe that the next 2 years will determine whether Rooney will be regarded as a GREAT OR A VERY GOOD PLAYER who never fulfilled his potential.
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@Craig Mc: Not sure if we should apply a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3.
If we play 4-3-3, i’ll go for, Fletch, hargo and scholes in midfield, with ando comin on for scholes in the second. Nani, Berba and Tevez upfont with Ronnie, Roon and Park as subs.
If we go 4-4-2, it’ll be scholes and fletch/hargreaves in midfield, with Ando/fletch/hargo comin on later. Berbatov and Rooney upfront, with tevez comin on later. Nani and park wide with Ronaldo and Giggs as subs.
Back four for both formations will be Brown, Rio, Evans and Evra.
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I have said this time and time again the wide players and the central midfield are doing nothing, it’s all fine blaming rooney and tevez but you can’t have your cake and eat it its give and take, you can’t expect rooney and tevez to expect to win games on their own they need the service is well they are forwards, I don’t know what is wrong with fergie does he need new glasses because park done nothing he is just awful awful awful, fletcher was abysmal Hargreaves was nothing special and nani was just useless. We all know ronaldo had a great game last night but special mention to Anderson who just give united that extra thrust in midfield that was lacking in the game.
if fergie was honest he knows in the summer of 2005 and 2007 he should have snapped up ramos and van der vaart who would have cost 22 million between them in 2005, ribery torres and bale were available would have cost about 48 million and that is a fact because I checked their transfer fees they cost. Park nani tevez are good well park is average but if fergie went for those players we would be seeing a better squad today plus rossi could have been kept. In the same summer of 2007 heinze smith Richardson Silvestre solkjaer o shea gone money would have covered some of those buys is well. And onto O shea why is this average joke still playing in a united shirt, it’s all well having squad players but when he plays he is a car crash waiting to happen.
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@Sidharth: Mate you don’t get where the critics are coming from do you?. Even when he is played in his PREFERRED position, HE DOESN’T STAY THERE!. Why do you think Capello gave him a mouthful several times during the last England game, both him and Joe Cole?. Because he doesn’t stay in his preferred position, but is back again all over the field. Find a post of mine where I have lambasted him, when Fergie has played him out of position. I don’t mate, but I will continue to highlight it, when he oft has played in his preferred position but starts to gypsy nomad all over the field. Try and see where his critics are coming from instead of trying to shield his arse all the time Sidarth mate. They do have a point you know.
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Looks like Grognard is off again!
Looks like all this Doom and Gloom Got him!
Anyway! Here should be the starting lineup for Sunday!
EVDS
Brown Evans Rio Evra
Nani Hargreaves Scholes C. Ronaldo
Rooney
The BERBA
Tevez and Anderson as Impact Subs just like the Arsenal game at OT 2-1!
Oh Who am i Kidding! When will Fergie get it that he HAS to bench Tevez/Rooney!
But Rooney should play on Sunday!
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@Craig Mc: You’re true! But I say this once and I will say it again! It is Fergie’s Fault what Rooney has become! He has started taking advantage of the boy! He seriously has turned him into shit! All of Rooney’s distinctive qualities shooting etc etc are not found in him anymore! And it is Fergie’s fault!
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@Gabriel: Sounds alright to me Gabriel. But I don’t think Ronnie will be given a full match. Park may well start in Ronnie’s place in your system. Is Berba fit then, I was hearing he wasn’t?. I think Fergie might go with O’Shea or Gary at Rt Back and move Wes into the centre, because Wes/ Rio are used to each other. O’Shea needs a game, and he never does bad for us in the big matches, he can sneak us a goal. I just don’t want the long trek home having LOST bro, so I hope we can get something from the game. Anybody know who the referee is?.
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@Red Diablo: Tell me why you think it is Fergie’s fault alone Red Diablo mate?. I am sure Fergie doesn’t tell the Roon to go on his gypsy wanderings
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@Red Diablo:
, Grognard is the King of doom and gloom according to some people. I just see him as someone with legitimate complaints sometimes. He doesn’t mince his words that’s for sure. Gotta admire that 
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@Craig Mc: Dude it is Fergie’s fault!
Point A:- Fergie has been sacrificing Rooney for the past two years now since RVN left! Remember Barcelona last year? Yeah Rooney was an attacker not a full back last year! Oh how about the other games last year? And what about this year? After admitting his mistakes in the summer! Fergie Finally buys the coveted No. 9 ! Berbatov! And what does he do to Rooney at Liverpool? He shifts him out on the right and plays Tevez in the middle! Now it is common fact that Tevez is much better on the wing than Rooney!
Point B:- “I am sure Fergie doesn’t tell the Roon to go on his gypsy wanderings” as for that, if Rooney does go for his wanderings
isnt it Fergie’s job to lam blast him that he isnt supposed to wander around?
Face it Fergie the MAIN factor in Rooney’s decline! He has sacrificed and wasted the Boy’s energy and Potential!
On a lighter note Mrs. Rooney should give Rooney a sex ban or something till he gets his form up!
That might work!
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@Craig Mc: Yeah! The Problem is where is he? I mean now all of us are in a state of doom and gloom! Come on Grog take over the realm! Make us all more Miserable!
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A definite improvement in midfield which led to quite a few chances…
Against Chelsea I would like to see a lineup which Chelsea would least like to face…I think they would love to see a two man midfield with Scholes in it…when Chelsea moves get broken down they will be so far into United’s half that they will always have the speed and fitness to regroup before United counter, and the slow build up won’t work against them. Unless we get lucky.
What they won’t want to face is a packed midfield with players hassling them and closing them down, no room for the slower players.
To get any scoring chances the ball needs to be won in the middle of the park and counter rapidly before they get all of their meatheads back behind the ball.
A centre midfield composed of three out of Anderson, Park, Hargreaves and Fletcher. Nani and Ronaldo on the wings, and hopefully Berbatov up top
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@magno: Without Rooney or Tevez? Yeah like its going to happen!
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@Red Diablo: Mate, a sex ban?
. Don’t you know that sex burns up more calories per sec, and gives you more energy and strength than any other exercise 
. Best thing for keeping in shape!.
Some people on here like the quiet, calm life Diablo, and who can blame them. There is enough misery for them in all of our posts
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@Craig Mc: Okay a little poser for you Tevez wanders from his position as much as Rooney does so why don’t you Rooney haters have a problem with that??
As for him wandering about i honestly don’t have a problem with that because he can influence the play from anywhere and still get into goal scoring positions when needed.
The problem with your criticism is your saying that Rooney should pray in and around the penalty box and stay there…well that’s what a front striker does. A natural number 10 plays in the hole between midfield and the top number 9 and tries to create and score goals. Rooney for me is the best second striker in the world and if you disagree please tell someone in his position who is better?!?!
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@Craig Mc: Oh Yeah! What was I thinking! Mate either it should be a sex ban or a sex marathon or something that would get Rooney in shape in about a day or two!
Oh yeah! You are right! No need to call on the Prince of Darkness now! We can hand misery to people ourselves! That is until the results start to flow!
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Red Diablo
it shows how much you know ronaldo from the start, for goodness sake it’s his first game back stop trying to hope fergie rushes him back he needs to be slowly brought back just like when he arrived in 2003. Yes its fergies fault that united have won back to back titles and a European cup, it’s fergie’s fault for spoiling you lot to death. Rooney before he got injured in November of 2007 Rooney was on fire and that was with tevez. why can’t united have an off year they have done so much in the last phew years if they win nothing it is not the end of the world can’t win them all, look at it this way have arsenal won anything recently you lot act as if united have won nothing god help you lot when united don’t win anything for a phew years.
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@Red Diablo: I doubt it will happen but it is what I would like to see for this particular match: with 3 central midfielders you can have have wingers with only one up top. Tevez or Rooney aren’t great up on their own.
I don’t want a two man midfield against Chelsea, they are too athletic for an out of form United…it’s a dilemma which will appear in European away matches too this year with the arrival of Berbatov…someone’s not gonna be happy if only one striker is played.
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@Sidharth: We haven’t had a front striker as you put it though have we?. With Ronnie out and only just getting Berba, and Saha so often injured when he was with us, Rooney was supposed to be our front man. By the way, Rooney himself complained about people saying he wasn’t a front man. He said he was really, and that he liked being in that position up front. I haven’t said that Rooney isn’t a good 2nd striker, when he stays in his position, but he too often strays from it. Anyway Sidarth, you just keep on as you are with Rooney mate, I am going to leave it here, because I am bored now of talking Rooney, so I can’t be arsed.
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@jason: Its not a matter of winning things mate, it’s a matter of the football we play. I wasn’t miffed because we didn’t win at L’Pool, the Zenit game, or last night. I was miffed about the tactics, and effort, and woeful efforts on goal. Sorry for loving good football mate, win or lose
. By the way, whats with the YOU LOT. There isn’t a you lot, just Diablo and me voicing an opinion on the shit way we have been playing, our paupacy in midfield, and Rooney’s form or lack of it. So two people have a different opinion, so what?.
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@Red Diablo:
, mate you have to BE FIT before you can have a sex marathon 
, but I see your point 
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Craig read my first post I said there are a phew players who at the moment are not good enough and should be gone, like fletcher o shea park neville giggs. and like I said before fergie could have snapped up ramos van der vaart ribery bale torres all were at good prices is well. this is not football manager I did my research and the prices were all at the right price is well.
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@Craig Mc: To be fair if you made Rooney a goalkeeper he would probably tell you it was his favourite position
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@JB:
, you think so JB. That would be real Rooney Tunes wouldn’t it Bro?. If the Roon was in goal, and set off on his gypsy wanderings, he could be up playing in the oppositions goals 
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@Craig Mc: Okay so you are for dropping Rooney. Okay say he is dropped and Tevez plays behind Berba. But look at what Tevez has done for all his good form. If you are the second striker you should be the link between the midfield and the target man. Tevez has been playing only in the midfield and has not ventured forward. Two needless bookings as well. I really can’t see the dropping of Rooney as a good solution for this. In fact Rooney has better vision than Tevez. Maybe we can all start slating him after he plays a match behind Berba, as an SS, which is his best position without a doubt.
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@jason:
yeah and if we sell the rest of our team and buy Messi, Kaka and Aguero and we’d be sorted 
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@jason: But Fergie DID try to get Torres and he failed, how’s that his fault, what should he have done? Crawled on his knees or hijack Torres to Anfield? How do we know Fergie didn’t try to get the other players you mentioned? Not every player will come to Man United cus they’re Man Utd, players can and will turn us down if they’re not interested in playing for us. Park was awful last night? What the heck were you watching? He was probably our best player after Evra, imo. O’Shea and Park to you might be average, but what happens when we buy all the stars you mentioned, who’ll sit on the bench? We NEED squad players like O’Shea who are content to have bench time and perform when called upon. Thank heavens you don’t manage the team.
On Chelsea…for the game, one word: Outmuscle…thats exactly what we need to do, bully their midfield, be physical, outmuscle them, to sum it up…play like Portsmouth(in the midfield), then attack like Man Utd usually does.
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also withou fletcher would have 1 point and 1 goal so WTF
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@jason: Fergie tried to get Bale, Ribery and Torres mate. Bale chose Spurs, Torres chose L’fool and Ribery chose Bayern. So that 3 out of the 5 you mentioned. He could have gone for the other two, we don’t really know if he did or didn’t do we. I agree with RD on Park, he was good last night, and was unlucky not to get 2 penalties. I also agree that we need good squad players like Fletch and O’Shea.
Krishnan, Tevez got 1 goal more than Rooney, and was unlucky not to score last night and another at L’pool. He was in the right position in the BOX. You know, that square thing in front of the oppositions goal. I see what your trying to say though mate
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@jason: Hindsight is a great thing isn’t it
It would be interesting to see what the general opinion would have been on spending around £20m on a teenage RB in 2005, when we didn’t particularly need one. It is also worth noting that none of Europe’s top clubs wanted to touch Van der Vaart with a barge pole back in 2005.
Bale, we valued him at around £5m, Spurs came in a double that and got him. Only time will tell if that valuation was right or an error in judgment.
With Torres my understanding is that we had chased him for a number of years. In summer 2006, if the rumors at the time are to be believed, we were fairly far down the road in terms of negotiations with both the player and club. Torres then apparently had a late change in heart about leaving his boyhood club and our interest was shelved. Our transfer action the next summer seems to have worked against us in this case as it is unlikely that there was enough money available to go after Torres after securing Nani, Anderson and Hargreaves so quickly.
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@Craig Mc: No doubt though if Rooney had a shot cleared off the line like Tevez last night, there would be calls for a full scale inquest into his crap finishing. Maybe if Tevez’s finishing wasn’t as crap as Rooney’s we would have won the last two games
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no craig its a verity of the glazers not forking the money in 2006 when no one was really after torres, and fergie not doing his best to get him, I don’t believe once second torres choose liverpool over united not with ronaldo giggs rooney scholes Ferdinand vidic evra etc. It was united lost interest that’s it. and don’t forget van der vaart cost Hamburg 3 million pounds in 2005 and fergie decided to buy the garbage ji sung crap, ribery I still don’t think fergie tried hard enough is well. bale I will give you on that one. Real madrid did not sign ramos until august 31st united had all summer. No I don’t want crap like darren useless fletcher, past it giggs, o shity shity useless shea, ji sung crap. and don’t forget is ronaldo going to be here long you look at a front four of ribery van der vaart rooney torres if ronaldo went and you would not feel worried if ronaldo was not there it’s called an insurance policy.
van der vaart 3 million pounds to hamberg
ramos 19 million pounds to real madrid
torres 26 million to liverpool
ribery 17 million to munich
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@JB: Maybe JB, Maybe
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@jason: See JB’s post 88 mate for the info on the Torres saga. Fergie worked v. hard on trying to get him. Maybe he didn’t rate Ramos, Van der Vart, as much as you do Jason. Managers have their own take on who they want, and who they think will fit into the team. I do think Fergie tried to get Ribery, but Ribery didn’t want to come to England at the time.
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@JB: Was that really what happened on Torres? Rumours said he was dead-set on going to Liverpool and turned us down even after we offered him higher pay.
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@Rd: L’fool had a Spanish manager, and spanish speaking player contingent. We didn’t at the time we tried to get him. But we got the better deal, because Ronaldo is better than Torres and proved it last season. Torres doesn’t score much against the top teams.
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Craig how long is ronaldo going to be with united. and I dont care about if the individual players dont score against all the top teams as long as they do it week in week out that is what matters, and again that was a myth that it was all spainish the likes of ronaldo quieroz I think could speak the language is well, atletico were screwing the price is well I still say at the time in 2006 the glazers screwed united over is well by not giving the money is well, how stupid does lou macari look now saying torres was not that good. I will still say united never realy did much getting torres if he did I still say he would have joined united.
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The applause was heart warming, but Ronaldo chants already? Give me a break!
Just the prawn brigade chanted!
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It was a good game all in all and we shouldnt be worried about the lack of goals.As giggsy said last year,as long as we are creating chances the goals will come eventually.And we were creating plenty but not converting.Once we dont create chances than we can start really worrying. Bring on Chelski!!!!
Comeon United!!!
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@Rd: We had made a sustained attempt to get him the summer before Liverpool targeted him (and had been linked with him for a couple of years prior to that). We were rumored to have agreed a fee with Atletico and been negotiating personal terms with Torres before he had a change of heart. It appears that the interest in him was shelved at that point and the Liverpool links emerged the next summer.
@Berba’s Fungus: Ironic since the complaint is that the prawn sandwich brigade don’t chant enough!
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@jason: Jason you sound like a previous commentator on here (name escapes me) who came along with his FM list of players we should have bought and sold. Football isn’t as simple as that in real life.
You are simply taking agreed transfer fees for players and assuming they would all sign on the dotted line while simply ignoring a myriad of other factors. For example in 2005 Van de Vaart had a reputation as an overweight, lazy, playboy, who had been stripped of the Ajax captaincy, dropped and in terrible form. There was a reason why he only went for £3-5m. Park was coming off the back of an excellent season with PSV and his one man demolition jobs on AC Milan. But how easy it is to sit here now as say we shouldn’t have bough Ji Sung Crap
As for Ramos, Gill made a point of saying that most of the next years transfer pot was used when we signed Rooney (ergo the bargain basement purchases of VDS and Park). That means there was no £20m for him. And no doubt there would have been plenty of whining if we spent that much on a right back at the time since we had plenty of capable options in there and we crying out for CM’s.
But I suppose you expect all these high profile players to come in a be happy taking up the bench/squad positions that are fulfilled by O’Shea, Fletcher and Giggs? Life is so simple when you are sitting at your computer looking at all these things in retrospect isn’t it
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@jason: If I could understand your post mate, I would do my best to answer it – truly
. I can’t quite get what the point is you are trying to make. Maybe some of the better translators on this blog can make some sense for me. Sorry Bro, I am trying 
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