Sep 29
Man Utd 2-0 Bolton: Ref Reprieve Earns Win
No, it wasn’t a penalty; everyone by now would testify. I’m not sure if Ronaldo dived, as lot of pundits would claim — though, I think he could have stood his ground. But it was the sort of break you needed in the game to come away with a win.
As usual I’ve taken longer than required to come up with a match report so it will be brief.
The tactics:
Didn’t have much to argue about apart from Neville’s continued presence in the starting XI. However, I mustn’t be too harsh because I see Fergie giving him a fair run to see if he improves. I don’t see it happen at this point, although he has been marginally better every game he’s played so far. However, I think it’s unlikely he’s ever going to scale the heights of his career. Hopefully SAF plays Brown against Aalborg to make the lad stop wondering if the boss has actually forgotten him.
Berbatov:
He’s been dividing opinion among fans everywhere. I thought he was actually good yesterday although his involvement has been subtle. Rooney’s introduction made his contribution more apparent. I think it’s unfair to judge Berbatov until we know for sure if he’s understood our system completely.
Substitutions:
I wasn’t sure of Scholes’ longevity, or should I say ability to influence a game for the full 90 minutes, but yesterday’s substitutions — the bringing on of Scholes and Rooney — showed how much of a difference he could make. Rooney, more so, showed his hunger channeled into the position he was supposed to revel in. He wanted to prove himself in the attacking end, and in partnership with a familiar friend, Ronaldo, scored a peach. As I said in the past, I reserve judgement on Rooney untill I see a fair bit of him this season. Perhaps Christmas would be a good time for me to judge the boy as his understanding with Berbatov grows. I also saw Scholesy make a couple of forward runs for the first time in years.
The penalty:
Perhaps the most dubious of penalties you would see. It’s unfortunate the game will be known for that rather than our general bossing of midfield and possession in the second half. The press are quick to call Ronaldo out for diving — which I’m not sure of, and I think is borne more out of the need to sensationalize things.
The Performance:
We are getting there. It’s a win. The next one’s at Blackburn, I believe, and it has been tricky in the past. But I think we have a better chance against Paul Ince’s boys than Sparky’s Blackburn. I haven’t been too impressed with them this season. Arsenal’s loss to Hull was a positive to take out of the weekend and Chelsea are still grinding out less than impressive wins; there is a good chance they’ll drop points. Liverpool, however, are winning but I wouldn’t put them on a pedestal yet. And City lost, ha! So it’s a rather decent weekend overall, I must say.
How was your weekend, then?
Related items from Red Rants:- Rooney Out For A Month
- Bolton vs Man Utd: Preview
- Man Utd 2-0 Bolton: Ronaldo Usurps Best
- Who Is Your Role Model?
- A Mini-Break
Tags: Match Reports
September 29th, 2008 at 7:30
One phrase sums it all: “We are getting there”. Just like last year!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:46
it wasnt a pen, but i am more thten satisfied with with the performance and win.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:48
Why is it automatically a “diving-issue”, when Ronaldo goes to ground in the area (or anywhere else for that matter)? It was a clean tackle, and he fell because of it. He cannot be faulted for the refs bad decision, but he certainly didn’t dive on this occasion.
Maybe he could have remained on his feet, but that would have required him to go less for the chance. He could have run slower or even stopped, but he wanted to get to open space to take his shot. The defender didn’t allow him and made a very nice tackle. Ronaldo fell, because he was moving forward and didn’t expect the tackle.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:51
Dan, Grognard and other FIFA fans. I have got the player ratings for FIFA 09! At least the Premiership sides. Ronaldo is 91, Rooney 87, so is Rio, Berba 86, Carrick 83 and Anderson 82. Well, here you go!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:51
Ronaldo: 91
Rooney: 87
Rio: 87
Berbatov: 86
Vidic: 86
Tevez: 85
Scholes: 85
Evra: 84
Hargreaves: 83
Carrick: 83
Giggs: 82
Anderson: 82
Nani: 81
Brown: 80
Neville: 79
Rafael: 67
Fabio: 64
And so on…
September 29th, 2008 at 7:57
im a bit surprised and the united player ratings in fifa…
manucho is rated higher then welbeck and rafael? those 2 should be in the 70+ rating, but they are in the late 60s, also, manucho is rated 72. now i have no objections to it, but, for a relatively unknown player, thats pretty high…Brown, park, fletch, carrick, possebon and evra are all rated lower then their worth. gibson could be a bit higher also.
evans is rated as a 73, but i think he should be rated a bit higher then that.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:59
I feel that we are on our way! Against Aalborg we will see if this team really has learned. We got a draw out of Villareal, bad, so we have to win in Denmark. Hopefully United go out to attack, then we will see how this team does. I think we played really well, Im just dissapointed that we dont take our chances! We had 32 shots against their 12! 21 of those on target, still Jaaskelainen did well to stop Rio, Anderson, Berbatov and Ronaldo. We hit the post too. Berba looks really good, I just hoped he would score when 1-on-1 with the keeper, unlucky his touch wasnt good. But he will be better, and I think he will score against Aalborg in midweek! Hull and Wigan won- HA!
TAKE THAT SHITEH! And the gooner-friend I have got a burn from me yesterday, wonder if he has courage to show up for school today. 
Well, after watching the latest games I thibnk this is the best team we have:
VDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Ronaldo Carrick Anderson(replaced by Scholes in second half) Nani
Rooney Berbatov
If we play this team in most of our matches this season, no-one can live with us!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:06
@dan(u-ol): Rafael and Welbeck had never played for United before. Well, neither have Manucho, but he is rated from the ACON. He did well there, so he has to be rated higher than Welbeck. Rafael is 67….well, had anyone actualy seen him play before he joined United? I hadnt, and for an 18 year old who is unkknown, 67 is alright. Not good, but alright! At least he is rated higher than Fabio. Evra, Vidic, Anderson, Carrick and Tevez; They should all be at least 3 ratings higher. And Rio! How can Torres be 88 and Rio 87? Its fucking unbelievable! Terry is 89 for Christs sake! My ratings would be:
)
Ronaldo: 92(Would have been 100 had it been possible
Rio: 89
Rooney: 87
Tevez: 87
Vidic: 87
Berbatov: 87
Evra: 86
Carrick: 86
Scholes: 84
Anderson: 84
Hargreaves: 83
Brown: 83
VDS: 83
Neville: 79
Foster: 75
Kuszczak: 75
Rafael: 70
Manucho: 70
Gibson: 68
Fabio: 65
September 29th, 2008 at 8:08
I’ve read a news that Nolan said when the penalty was made, even Ronaldo, Tevez & Fletcher claimed that wasn’t a penalty! I also thought that wasn’t but neither did Ronaldo dive! That’s the fault of Mr Styles but I’m still glad about it, if not, I wonder if this match will end up a draw. Berbatov was really frustrating because no one pass the ball to him when he was mark free! But overall his performance was getting much better, I think he want to proved himself not a lazy player as he always help defencing!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:12
United vs Chelski, stadium news and Ronaldo in FIFA arena. All here!
September 29th, 2008 at 8:12
That wasn’t a dive… Ronaldo didn’t even appeal for penalty… He didn’t raise his arms…
September 29th, 2008 at 8:21
Ronaldo didnt dive. Reason he fell? The defender got the ball, but when he took it, the ball was between his legs. Ronaldo fell on Samuels legs cause it all happend so fast he didnt have time to jump. It was a good tackle, the wrong decision and not a dive.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:25
It was just a clean challenge, Slave didn’t dive it was just poor refereeing.
I win is a win, and good to see Rooney get on the sheet, hopefully that will build his confidence, we do need to utilise Berbatov more, but that will come.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:10
It’s just a matter of time until Berba finds his feet and settles in to the “united way”, Ronaldo is clearly not 100% yet but it will come and when it does we will see this team move to another level and all the doubts about Berbatov etc will disappear, I thought we played well and at times we had so much possession it was like watching a training session, but give credit to Bolton they came here to frustrate us which they did at times and we needed a bit of luck which we got with a “penalty”, most teams will come here this season and use these tactics and its up to us to break these teams down, it would help with an early goal to settle nerves but i think we are getting there.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:44
Is it just me who’s irritated by all the FIFA 09 talk in this blog? Oh, ok… *gets coat*
Back on topic:
The fact that the word “Ronaldo” and “Dive” were uttered in the same sentence this weekend enraged me. Even though most pundits were quick to dismiss that it wasn’t anywhere near being a dive, I really gets my goat that they need to debate it.
I’ll tell you something, if Ronaldo won us a penalty in the same fashion as Michael Owen did this weekend, the media would be calling for Ronaldo’s head. But just because it was Michael “Can’t do feck all wrong” Owen, who “Given the opportunity, will always score” (Give me a break), his penalty antics were completely overlooked.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:47
@benjd: The biggest diver playing in the Premiership is Gerrard, he goes down like a hooker on prom night.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:49
@Stephen: Yeah don’t get me started on him.
I got so angry this weekend when they showed his penalty last year from the Everton game. Disgusting.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:57
@RedDevilEddy: is that playstation ratings? is the ratings the same with the pc?
September 29th, 2008 at 11:01
@benjd: The fucking press adore that scouse twat, he can do no wrong, and Andy Gray loves him.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:11
gerrard is andy gray’s god
September 29th, 2008 at 11:18
I fucking hate Andy Gray, he is the biggest ABU out there in the press bar Alan Green!
September 29th, 2008 at 11:48
@Stephen:
September 29th, 2008 at 11:54
RedRanter said, “Berbatovs involvement was subtle.” Yes RR, and only those who understand the subtle, will understand Berba. I watched the game again on MUTV late last night, and saw so much from Berba I even missed whilst cheering him on from the terraces during the game. Berba is definately NOT a Ronnie or a Rooney. They are all speed, cut and run, hit and miss because of haste sometimes. Watching Berba last night, I saw what the majority of all the fans of the speed merchant players miss. Berba doesn’t need to dash around like a feckin maniac, but he MAKES THE BALL DO THE WORK FOR HIM. He sees the pass, and there is no question in my mind about that. He split Bolton’s compact defence TWICE and put Scholes straight thru on goal, and Scholesy should have scored at least one of them. He split their defensive shield seeing the pass to our wide players, and he cannot be blamed for the fact that Ronnie, Rooney, Tev, Park, and Neville couldn’t LIFT the ball over the first man of Bolton, or get it properly into the area. Berba was so often in the box too from corners and set play, but seldom did the ball find him in space, for what we would call opportunity for a sitter. I LOVE footballer’s WHO can MAKE THE BALL do the work for them. These kind of players ‘the Subtle’ as RR says, are rare indeed, and the other players in our team are not yet on the Berba’s wavelength.
As for Nani, he was given a 10 minute cameo. He had two shots, BOTH on target, and the goalkeeper stretching for both. He did get passes in the area to other players, but the area was too packed with Bolton defenders for our lads to have time to get a shot away. For the short time he was on, I think he did good.
But Viva the Berba and Nani sceptics, because THEY LIKE MAN UNITED, will NEVER DIE
.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:58
Why is everyone sceptic about that, Important thing is that we won…
September 29th, 2008 at 12:03
Player Ratings
EVDS - 6 - didn’t have anything difficult to do, but no howlers - and that’s an improvement on performances so far. One particularly encouraging take from a corner.
Evra - 7 - won his on-going battle with Kevin Davies, proving he can handle physical as well as tricky opponents. Provided his usual energy going forwards, although he must still be careful not to be caught out high up the pitch, as he was for the move leading to Muamba’s chance - he relies heavily on a midfielder being around to cover his tracks.
Rio - 8.5 - a rock as usual. Even with Neville back in the side, there can be no doubt who is the organiser-in-chief of the defence. He is increasingly getting himself into good spots at the other end - a goal can’t be far away - and in a game where we had most of the ball his assured distribution from the back is another plus.
Vidic - 6.5 - a solid if unspectacular return from suspension. Seemed to have Elmander under control, but wasn’t eye-catchingly dominant as he can be.
Neville - 6 - perfectly solid at the back, but offered little going forward (which was the chief criticism of Brown last year, and the area which Brown has improved most strongly). Wesley’s continuing omission is baffling.
Park - 6 - energetic as usual, but without the extra helping of skill that has made him stand out in the past two games. A couple of disappointing crosses, and arguably could have done better from the rebound chance by lifting it back across goal.
Anderson - 6 - showed glimpses of everything he is capable of - incisive forward passing, skill on the ball, strength and tackling - but still seemed off the pace. He was too often chasing rather than being well positioned to start with. That said, he did a good job sitting deep and offering an easy pass outlet when we were going forward, something that we often lack when both Carrick and Scholes are missing. I still maintain he needs a break to recharge both mentally and physically. A goal would help, too!
Fletcher - 6.5 - worked hard and prevented our four-man midfield being overrun by Bolton’s five, but was consequently unable to indulge in those driving runs forward and late arrivals in the box which have caught the eye so far this season.
Ronaldo - 7 - it was never a penalty, but he didn’t dive or appeal, which was good to see. Had an average game by his standards, but that level is so high that most wingers (Nani included) would have been delighted by their contribution. Good to see him linking up with Rooney for the second goal. So, two starts, two goals and an assist…surely not again…
Tevez - 5 - if this was an audition for the spot of Berbatov’s partner, he failed it. Ineffectual for the most part despite his workrate, and I can’t recall a single meaningful pass between him and Berba (in contrast to when Rooney arrived). I can still see a role for him raiding from the left in the 4-2-3-1 that I would love to see Fergie try, but he’s behind Rooney once more in the support striker stakes.
Berbatov - 6.5 - largely anonymous in the first half, increasingly influential in the second. Proved that he will be very dangerous with the ball into his feet as well as the extra physical presence he offers. His workrate is of a different type to that of Rooney or Tevez, in that he’s constantly trying to find space and make good runs (as opposed to chasing the ball like a loon) - the others need to start looking for his movement rather than assuming he’s only relevant around the penalty area. That goal won’t be far away now, nor will that big performance.
Rooney (sub) - 8 - just when we needed it, a reminder of why Rooney is a special player. Looked like a man with a big point to prove when he came on, taking the game by the scruff of the neck, terrorising Bolton and scoring a peach of a goal. I could watch that little shimmy on loop for hours, pure class.
Scholes (sub) - 7.5 - having struggled with his stamina when starting, this performance gave rise to an intriguing possibility - Scholesy the impact sub. With no need to conserve his energy, he made forward runs and generally buzzed about all over the pitch, in massive contrast to his usual intelligent, languid offerings. Watch this space.
Nani (sub) - 5 - continues to follow Ronaldo’s career path, by having a second season characterised not only by moments of skill but enraging, beer-bottle-through-the-tv-screen decision making. Get your head up, son - it’s a team game.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:04
Nani needs a run in the team, he is a top player, pace, trickery, great crosser and can score goals. I can never understand why Park is chosen ahead of him, who to be honest is average at best
September 29th, 2008 at 12:39
@Stephen: Park will track back every single time. Nani won’t.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:52
Scholes the Impact sub has to be the direction his career takes at this juncture. Any 2 of Carrick, Hargreaves or Anderson has to start when the former are fit. Scholes coming off the bench using all his fitness in a 20 min spell rather than stretching it over 65 / 70 mins means we will have the Paul of old for 20 mins a game. Against tired opposition legs this is a magnificent prospect
Also, I feel like the impact Scholes had from the bench sounds the death knell for Giggs. He has come off the bench all to often and changed little. We don’t need another central player. It’s a shame, but it’s over Ryan.
September 29th, 2008 at 13:06
@benjd: Its not all about tracking back, it’s about getting good balls into the box, and Nani had more assists than anyone else last year apart from Rooney, and most of those games he made the assists he didn’t start - SO LIVE WITH IT!. Its about time our midfield was strengthened and did some feckin tracking, as they are the ones who are supposed to be supporting the defenders
.
September 29th, 2008 at 13:12
@Penguin: Rooney On as a sub, given 8 rating, Nani on for 10 minutes had more shots at goal than Rooney, given 5 rating. Talk about feckin bias, why am I not surprised
?.
September 29th, 2008 at 13:17
@Penguin: By the way, what’s the CONTINUES to have a second season bollocks, when has he had the chance to play much. Like I said, and will keep repeating, hope he leaves United and we will find out how feckin talented he is. Hope he joins another prem team, and comes to OT and wallops us, and I feckin mean that. Some of you lot feckin enrage me. Wouldn’t mind if your comments were even remotely fair.
.
September 29th, 2008 at 13:20
Nice ratings Penguin. I also concur with Craig MC. Berbatov did show what he can do and doesnt run around. there’s this pass that he released park that made me watch the replay of it over and over again.Only thing that remains is break the scoring duck which am sure will happen sooner rather than later.
it was an encouraging performance from the team. Once we hit top gear there will be no stopping us.
Does anyone know how long Possebon will be out
September 29th, 2008 at 13:31
@Stephen: Stephen Bro I love you
.
.
I do love little terrier Park though as well
September 29th, 2008 at 13:31
Any idea about what happened to Kuszczak ? Ben Amos was on the bench in place of him for the Bolton game, and now he hasn’t even been picked as part of the squad traveling to Aalborg.
Has he picked up an injury? Or is this a “tactical” decision to give some experience to Ben Amos? Also, any date set for Foster’s return?
September 29th, 2008 at 13:47
Like I’ve said before, I love PPR ratings!
Nice analysis Penguin.
However, maybe Nani deserved a 5.5 cos he atleast was a bit more active compared to Tevez who has a 5.
@CraigMc: You said Nani had only two shots at goal and both on target? If I remember correctly, he had 4 shots, out of which one was on target. That doesn’t matter, what matters here is that in atleast 3 of those 4 situations, there were players in better situations and he could have passed but chose not to. I think that has affected his ratings, it sure left many fans frustrated! Considering we were already two goals up, maybe it is forgivable, but the boy better start making some assists soon!!
September 29th, 2008 at 13:52
nani was frankly rather frustrating to watch in his brief 10min appereance. sure, it was only a short period of time, but within that time, he had various opportunities to pass the ball to a team-mate in a better position, only to go for glory.
i like him as a player, but he needs to get involved more as a team player. (which i am sure he would)
September 29th, 2008 at 14:37
@Sparx: Groin injury.
Our keepers seem like they are competing over being the new Saha. 
September 29th, 2008 at 14:41
@Penguin: Nice ratings, once again… maybe Nani deserved a 6/6.5, cuz he showed some spark. I know he still tends to hug the ball a lot, but that’s what most natural wingers do, he will learn gradually when and where to utilise one of his many skills to devastating effect, and when he does, he will be dynamite.
Hargo is once again missing from the squad, which leaves Ando, Fletch, Scholes and Gibson fighting out for midfield, unless Fergie plays Giggs in his ‘new’ role of AMF. Ando deserves a break to maybe get his energy levels and game concentration back up, he showed glimpses of his talent on sat’day, but needs a bit more focus, which can be gotten from a bit of R&R.
Tevez to me needs to work a bit on his passing game/team chemistry. He can dribble, but when he gets to the end of his dribble, he still needs to make that killer pass that justifies that dribble. Maybe playing wih Berba didn’t help as he is a new figure in the team, but given he has been here for a year, his team chemistry should be a bit higher.
Brown is set to feature once again, he will be relieved to know Fergie hasn’t forgotten ’bout him. I think Fergie is just trying to ease our Captain Gary back and see if he can still cut it in the big league, after all, it will be a bit rash/wrong to just axe our captain without giving him a fair/lengthy shot at regaining his place.
Berbatov is gradually getting with the team chemistry, and the others have to remember it’s a two-way street. He needs to adjust his game as much as they need to recognise his strengths/abilities. Rooney is beginning to look sharp, maybe some rest was what was needed, after all, he had played almost every game for us this season on the back of an illness.
Scholes the impact sub, sounds great to me!! He can utilise his energy more productively in the 20mins or so given to him by making continued forward runs as opposed to conserving it when he starts. Plus, he gives the young ‘uns their chance to prove themselves by starting.
One last thing, If Giggs is gonna be playing a more central role his season, shouldn’t we be looking for a young prodigous winger that can in the future replace Giggsy in our wing quartet? I would prefer a walcott type, fast with good feet, and the ability to pick a pass and take a shot. Anyone out there?
September 29th, 2008 at 14:50
@Gabriel: Agree with the Anderson theory, he needs a rest. But what does R&R mean? One stands for rest, but the other? Well, Nani will become better, he is just a young winger with a right foot cross that I am thanking God for. When he learns when its the right time for him to cross, we will have another one of the best wingers in the world. His crosses and power are fantastic! Just wait and see, a star in the making.
September 29th, 2008 at 14:50
@benjd: Mate great wingers are not in the team to track back, the are in the side to create goals and Nani does that more than any other player.
Park is a great lad, no question but he lacks real quality which Nani has, he just needs a run of games in the side to get confidence.
@Gabriel:” One last thing, If Giggs is gonna be playing a more central role his season, shouldn’t we be looking for a young prodigous winger that can in the future replace Giggsy in our wing quartet? I would prefer a walcott type, fast with good feet, and the ability to pick a pass and take a shot. Anyone out there?” Er NANI!!”!!
September 29th, 2008 at 14:51
@Gabriel: Eh, why does everybody think Giggs is gonna play as a CM or CAM? He is conna be a CF for Christs sake! When Berba, Tevez or Rooney are injured, he will come on and play as the striker. Manucho is still unproven, so he might not become the big star until next season.
September 29th, 2008 at 14:52
@Craig Mc: Mate, I don’t expect to agree with you on anything at the moment. I’m not biased towards Rooney - are you telling me you didn’t think he was awesome for the last 20 mins? Didn’t you think his goal was quite good? I gave him a 5 against Chelsea which some people thought was harsh, but I thought he was great on Saturday. I don’t think I’m in the minority either.
As for Nani, I want him to do well, and I want him to play more. All I’m saying is that he doesn’t make the right decision often enough for me. He seems to pass when he should dribble, dribble when he should shoot and shoot when he should pass. I don’t want people taking shots when they should be setting up others in a better position, but if shots taken is your measure of contribution then that’s up to you.
September 29th, 2008 at 14:52
@RedDevilEddy: R&R
Rest & Retire 
September 29th, 2008 at 14:53
@cheeseburger o’shea: The ratings of players are the same on every console. PC, Xbox, PS2/3, Wii and others are the same. So if Ronaldo is 91 in PS/Xbox, he will be 91 on PC.
September 29th, 2008 at 14:54
@AndyCR7: I dont like that…
September 29th, 2008 at 14:57
@RedDevilEddy:
September 29th, 2008 at 14:57
Possible team tomorrow:
VDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Ronaldo Flecther Scholes/Anderson Nani
Rooney Berbatov
or:
VDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Fletcher Anderson Scholes
Ronaldo Berbatov Nani
Good enough to beat Aalborg.
September 29th, 2008 at 14:59
@Stephen: I don’t disagree. I was just stating why I think fergie played park instead.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:01
@RedDevilEddy: Rest and Relaxation
he has been playing non-stop since the olympics, so maybe a bit of R&R might do him good. However, without Carrick and Hargreaves, the chances of him getting a rest are slim as he is needed!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:05
@benjd: I found that odd as we were playing Bolton at home!!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:12
@Stephen: Nani is already part of the ‘Quartet’; Nani, Park, Giggs, Ronaldo
If giggs can’t play on the wings no more, we are thereon reduced to three from now or next season, and with injuries, it could get worse. All i’m saying is that looking for a young, prodigous but ready-to play winger would be nice. He can develop playing for the reserves/carling cup getting that vital manutd chemistry while at the same time provide back-up for our wingers.
I see Nani getting a lot of games this season, and will solidify his place in the 1st eleven. Ronaldo will also be a starter which will leave just Park as wing cover, don’t we need more than that? Nani fits the bill of the winger i would like to add, but a bit of variety is good, hence a walcott type, who just has lightening pace with the extra abilities, like, shooting, crossing, dribbling etc Too much to ask?
September 29th, 2008 at 15:12
@Gabriel: United need him, but if he isnt fit enough to play well then I would rather have an in-form Fletcher next to Scholes. I am a dead-hard Anderson fan, he is my favorite player. I want the best ofr him, and at the moment I thin the best for him, and for United, is that he takes a rest. After he got a rest, he was back against Boro and played really well. Then he played against Bolton, now Aalborg? We need him more for Saturday against Blackurn as his energy and strengh will be needed against Dunn and ? who ever Rovers play. They are a “strong” team, so Anderson is more needed for that than playing against a weak team in Aalborg. Ive watched them a few tuimes during the years as the Danish League is shown here in Norway, and I know their biggest weakness- crosses. They let in loads of goals from crosses and set-pieces, and the play hard even though being weak. If we play Ronaldo, Nani and Berbatov in that game I can promise you at least a 2 goals win.
Nani cross+Berbatov header=Goaln against Aalborg.
Ronaldo trickery+violent Aalborg players=Ronaldo free-kick/penalty goal.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:13
@Gabriel: Nani, Park, Hargreaves, Ronaldo, Rafael, Fabio and Welbeck can all play on the wing.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:15
@Stephen: Fair comment!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:16
@RedDevilEddy: He’s gonna be a deep SS/AMF. Fergie said so. We have enough strikers at the mo, and only a freak injury crisis will see us requiring Giggs to play as No.9. I see him coming on in games to provide a bit of composure and experience to the attacking set-up thru the middle. He showed it against ‘boro in the carling cup, and I reckon Fergie was impressed. Maybe he and Scholes will prove vital as impact subs this season, won’t that be great.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:22
@RedDevilEddy: Only three out of the seven you listed are natural wingers. Anybody can play in the wing (apart from O’shea
) but only the natural wingers can display the abilities and performances required of a winger. I’m not one for utilising players out of position as it blunts their productivity and in the long run deters their development, so would rather see us have a natural winger as back up/understudy than a LB, RB, CF and DMF.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:24
@Gabriel: looks like we missed a trick with Ramsey in my book.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:32
Lee Askham on the wing, sign him! or we could go spanish with a tried and tested david silva.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:40
@john freakin’ o’shea: We tried to get Silva, but he wanted to stay in Spain. He even said he wanted to join Real Madrid and I dont want to start another one of those sagas, at least not with a new player.
@Gabriel: Rafael and Fabio are almost wingers, they are good crossers and have skills. They have pace, like Evra who has played left winger for us sometimes. Hargreaves is a really good crosser and he is fast. He can definately play there. Welbeck is young, and against Boro he played as a RF/RW. Not a stiker. Okey, so only Ronaldo, Park and Nani have the “winger” position as their best, but in crisis we can opt for Hargo, Rafael, Fabio and Evra. I wouldnt complain.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:41
@Penguin: Shots taken give us at least a chance of getting goals, if the shots are on target, and Nani’s were. Goals is something we haven’t been doing too well on lately, except when our reserves were out against Boro. So YES, I appreciate anyone who has a shot when we have a seemingly poor scoring rec at the moment.
Regarding didn’t I think Rooney was fantastic when he came on Saturday - Honestly apart from his goal - NO. I watched the match again last night, and looked for Roon’s contribution, he couldn’t get passes in from wide positions, and a few of his passes went astray. I also very seldom agree with your player ratings, but hey, you have your opinions and I have mine. I WILL BE SURE to tell you though, when I come across the majestic Rooney of old again.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:41
Hargreaves is a real worry for me guys, will he ever be fit?! We signed him well over a year ago with this injury and he never seems to be getting over it. In my view he should start pretty much week in week out, but he is never fit, paying that money for a player who is not fit looks very expensive.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:43
@Stephen: maybe, maybe not… If he doesn’t develop as promised at arsenal then we know we definitely didn’t miss anything, as Wenger brings the best out of the young ‘uns.
@john freakin’ o’shea: saw a clip of the Askham kid.. looked good and scored a peach, but not enough for me to judge him on. David silva is too high profile a signing for me as we already have two 1st team starters in Nani and Ronaldo. He might not take too lightly sitting regularly on the bench. Still, if we could, why not?
A player that was brought to my attention by Grognard was Marko Marin. He plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He has all the qualities i like in a winger; lightening pace, dribble accuracy, clinical shooting, great crosser/passer and good playmaker. He is also 19, and being just promoted into the Bundesliga, might not have too much of a problem being an understudy to Nani/Ronaldo at United. Any other wingers you guys know of?
September 29th, 2008 at 15:45
@john freakin’ o’shea: Errr whose Lea Askham mate, seriously I don’t know this guy
.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:47
@Gabriel: Agree with you on Wenger Bro, he is good at young player development. Wish Nani and a couple of our other young players were under his charge
.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:49
Horray!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:50
@Craig Mc: Fergie isn’t too bad at developing young players mate?!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:50
Guys, what do these guys have in common:
Foster
Rafael Rio Evans Evra
Ronaldo Hargreaves Scholes Nani
Rooney Tevez
Good luck. Try to find it out, I will tell who is right.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:52
Really nice Tim Vickery post here with some comments on our youngs ones
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2008/09/unknown_possebon_hits_headline.html
September 29th, 2008 at 15:54
Here you can find all the Highlights from BBC Match of the Day, every match, week by week, free download and great quality video:
http://www.recontragolazo.com/?cat=26
September 29th, 2008 at 15:55
@Gabriel: Bro, Brown did nothing wrong last season, and most things right!. Shouldn’t it be Red Nev who is being used as super sub like people are saying scholesy and giggsy should be now -
. Wes has done nothing to deserve Gary coming back in and taking his place. He was not at fault for Edwin’s crazy bloomer at scouseland.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:56
@RedDevilEddy: “..They are almost wingers..” that’s the phrase that makes my case. They can produce average/inconsistent performances there, but is that what you want from a starter? Honestly, I see us needing four ‘true’ wingers in our squad as when injury/suspension hits (like this season so far), the ‘almost’ wingers cannot consistently produce the goods.
I’m not saying we don’t have options, we do, but we should get appropriate options. I would rather the twins, welbeck and hargo stick to what they know best and develop with that, than always moving around and stagnating their progress in their preferred positions.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:56
@Gabriel: Per Siljan Skjelbred, Norwegian young winger. Plays for Rosenberg. Pros: Quick, good skills, great vision. Negatives: Injury prone, not much of a crosser.
Emanuelson: plays for Ajax, left winger and left back. Good pace, nice skills and great crosser.
Balotelli: Inter Milan, called Super Mario, can be used as a striker if needed, good shot, pass and cross. Quick and strong.
Young: Aston Villa, Fantastic crosser, new England star, pace and shot.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:57
Come on people, GUESS!
September 29th, 2008 at 15:58
@Craig Mc: Spot on mate, Fergie does seem to be getting sentimental in his old age. The Fergie of old would have released certainly G Nev and Probably giggs to be honest, not that would certainly be right but he would have been more ruthless.
September 29th, 2008 at 15:59
@RedDevilEddy: Their favorite food is Thai?
September 29th, 2008 at 16:02
@Stephen:
no, wrong answer.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:06
@Craig Mc: Nani is doing good at United bro, this is his second season and his first was highly fruitful/promising. Like every young player, his decision-making is still developing and as he continues to work on that, he will become better at utilising his many talents. Fergie is working on that, and you can gradually see his focus improving with every game he plays for us. Once he gets that maturity, he will be a definitely 1st team starter/star performer.
@Craig Mc: Of course Brown did excellently, but Gary is our captain for one thing, and he is being given an ample chance to prove he can still cut it (not necessarily replace Brown) considering his long lay-off. I’m sure even if he wasn’t captain, he would still deserve that chance!!
We need reliable, experienced cover and unless Gary gets an extended run of games, we can’t know for sure if he is still reliable. Don’t worry, a bit of competition shoud do both of them some good. However, I see Brown winning in the long run.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:08
@Stephen: Fergie was at one time, but not for a long time. Either our scouting programme and selection of young players with quality is lacking, or something, because apart from Carling cup, the reserve youngsters seem to be loaned out, than brought thru to our first team. Why do you think Bale and Ramsey didn’t sign for us?.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:08
@RedDevilEddy: everytime i see andy johnson in the england u21 side, he always looks head and shoulders above everyone else, to bad southgate doesnt see it.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:13
i saw marin, i think he played for the german squad already,
September 29th, 2008 at 16:15
@Craig Mc: You are right but the twins, possebon and I suppose Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson are youngsters comming through.
Our scouting network has worried me for a while, our feckin chief scout is Fergie’s brother! he sourrounds himself with “jobs for the boys merchants” which is not right. We are one of th biggest clubs in the worls and should have foreign scouts all around the world finding the best young talent but we would rather spend £17.£18m on Anderson/Nani who are good but are still punts considering they are young and you never know how they will adapt to English football.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:16
if we cant poach david silva, lets poach ashley young instead, he is way better from bentley imo.@Craig Mc: le askham is a sheffield youngster i think..
September 29th, 2008 at 16:17
@Gabriel: I see where you are coming from Bro, but I have to ask you to consider why Nani is so much more confident and relaxed playing for Portugal than he is for us?. If I remember, before last seasons stormer of a season for Ronnie, many United fans were asking why Ronnie always played better for Portugal than he did for us. Something worth consideration I believe
.
Brown would always be my 1st choice for RB position now. But my choice isn’t Fergie’s choice obviously
. I think my choice first team, would probably not be 1st choice with many on this blog. But I would put my lads out, and bet all I had on them beating most teams 
.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:18
@RedDevilEddy: None of them seem good as wingers.. check out that Marko Marin kid, he could be our walcott!!
September 29th, 2008 at 16:19
@john freakin’ o’shea: Oh right, thanks for the info Bro.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:24
@Stephen: Nani, Ronnie, Anderson, Possebon and the twins could hardly be considered home grown players could they?. They already had their basic and advanced football skills inbred into them long before they came to us. Same with Macheda and Petrucci. I watch the reserves and acadamy players a lot most of the season, and the foreign players stand out from our home grown lads for excellent skill and technique. This is the honest truth Bro.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:24
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=829693
link all about marko marin. like gabriel said, he could be our walcott. i think this lad is class.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:29
@Craig Mc: Fair enough, mate - the world would be boring if everyone agreed all the time.
September 29th, 2008 at 16:33
@Craig Mc: I agree mate, but Ramsey, Vela, Merida, Song, Djourou ect cant be called homegrown also, so many people go on about how Wenger finds these players, well he brings them in like everyone else.
The English lads do lack the technique of the foreign boys certainly, which has always been Englands problem full stop, buy maybe we have more heart?!!
September 29th, 2008 at 16:34
@Craig Mc: Our scouting is good, but different to Wenger’s. We have always had a mixture of youth and experience in our team way before Arsenal began their youngster programme. We had the class of scholesy and co come thru when Arsenal were still playing with oldies. Wenger decided to get rid of those players and invest in not only loca