Mar 08
Man Utd v Portsmouth: FA Cup Preview
Harry Redknapp has called on his men to sort themselves out if they are to prevent Manchester United from giving them a hiding at Old Trafford today. An experienced campaigner, Harry Redknapp would do well to pore over the performance of the team the last time we sent them to the cleaners. That match was known more for Ronaldo’s free-kick, and the trajectory of the ball, for which reams of paper (and webspace) were dedicated debating the merits of his technique.
As much as the Portuguese winger has been terrorizing defences this season, Nwankwo Kanu has said he doesn’t fear him as much as is being made out to be.
However, this is a cup tie and despite Portsmouth’s underwhelming recent form they have their African contingent playing for them, unlike the time when we beat them 2-0 in January.
On to team composition, Fergie should go full strength today, considering we are playing Derby County next week. But while our back four picks itself (and maybe Kuszczack as ‘keeper?) the position of central midfield I’ll leave it up to you to make your own predictions. It’s a betting agency’s delight, that’s for sure. But, nevertheless, Sir Alex looks to have mentioned Scholes and Giggs as likely starters for the game.
I sincerely hope the formation put out today is a 4-4-2. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tevez and Rooney start together and, when on song, they can destroy anyone.
Meanwhile SAF confirms that he’s not set any retirement dates. It’s unfortunate how words can be twisted so easily, so when one makes a casual remark it gets blown up and over analysed. Fergie wouldn’t make comments about retiring any time soon, given how it’s backfired in the past. He will retire someday, and it will be a hard, hard day, but at present we must sit back and savour the moments. They won’t last very long, I assure you.
Also there are plans to send Foster out on loan, with Championship clubs interested, for the rest of the season. I would personally like him to go to Bristol City, considering their surprise over-achievement this season and my soft corner for the Robins — they were the first club I managed on Football Manager way back in 2000 when I led them to Champions’ League glory, and I’ve taken a reasonable interest in their fortunes ever since, but I digress.
Right. Back to today’s game and my out-of-this-world predictions: 2-1 United — I have a nagging feeling that Muntari might blast in a belter past Kuszczak, but that’s just me.
Related items from Red Rants:- Man Utd v Portsmouth: Preview
- Preview: Pompey vs Reds
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Lyon v Man Utd: Preview
- The need for a right-back and a forward | Title race blown open
Tags: Game Preview
March 8th, 2008 at 10:17
no giggs please dear fergie.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:34
what makes you think PIG will play RR? the only person i could see making a surprise appearance is welbeck.
March 8th, 2008 at 10:43
I don’t know, maybe because it’s a cup game?
March 8th, 2008 at 11:06
Muntari has openly declared he wants to play for ManU, so he will go all out to impress. We will need a very strong midfield, with those who can actually tackle well. And the players need to be AS UP FOR THIS GAME as we were for the Arsenal. The pompi fans will make a lot of noise, so I hope ManU fans are in the mood for making it OUR ATMOSPHERE.
March 8th, 2008 at 11:46
I think we should go all out for the win today…it may be an opportunity to rest players in preparation for a hectic period but it would be heartbreaking if we dropped out of a competition this early.
and should ben foster come to bristol city i’d be able to give you a detailed analysis of his progress
keeping a keen eye on them just in case they get promoted
March 8th, 2008 at 12:15
my team would be:
vds
simmo
rio
vida
evra
ronny
scholes
andy/carrick
nani
tevez
roo
subs:
welbeck brown carrick/andy hargo o’shea.
March 8th, 2008 at 12:30
No keeper on the bench Dan?
Really hope he does soon! Anyway, let us be happy and sing today,cause Arse will drop points(hopefully), Chelsea will go out of the cup(really hope so…GO BARNSLEY!) and United will be playing at Wembley in one months time.
I am against playing the semis at Wembley, I kinda like being at Villa Park. Its a great stadium, but Wembley should only be used as final games, not semis! But I hope we win today. I predict a really hard game for United, I think they will just win it 2-1. Ronaldo with a penalty and Tevez with tap-in for us. Kranjcar on a free kick for them. My team would be:
VDS
Simmo Rio Vida Evra
Ronaldo Andy Scholes Giggs
Tevez Rooney
subs: PIG, Oshea, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani
I have a good feeling about this, dont know why, but I feel today will be something special. Maybe Anderson will score!
WE ALL FOLLOW MAN UNITED, WERE ALL GOING TO WEMBLEY, AND WE REALLY SHAKE THEM UP WHEN WE WIN THE FA CUP, CAUSE UNITED ARE THE GREATEST FOOTBALL TEAM!(Lift the cup, The Midland Reds)
March 8th, 2008 at 12:34
Why no Saha in the line ups/bench RedDevil and Dan?
March 8th, 2008 at 12:42
totally forgot abot saha to be honest.
March 8th, 2008 at 13:04
any team news
March 8th, 2008 at 13:05
don’t blame you mate.you are not sure when it comes to him
March 8th, 2008 at 13:06
vds
Fab 4
ronny
hargo
scholes
nani
tevez
rooney
subs PIG carrick andy saha o’shea
March 8th, 2008 at 13:09
according to the man utd match tracker its : (4-4-2)
EVDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Ron Harg Scholes Nani
Tev Rooney
Subs: PIG, O’Shea, Carrick, Anderson, Saha
Portsmouth:(4-5-1)
James
Johnson Campbell Distin Hreidarsson
Utaka Muntari Bouba Diop Diarra Krancjar
Kanu
Subs: ashdown, lauren, hughes, mvuemba, baros
March 8th, 2008 at 13:10
Apologies, got tied up there and couldn’t get you the team news nice and sharpish
March 8th, 2008 at 13:14
I have something different, wik3d, I have Nani and CR on the wings, Hargo and Scholes in central and Tevez-Rooney up front. That is all I know.
Why don’t you want Giggs to play, donibrasco?
March 8th, 2008 at 13:21
ooh, my bad… though you said Carrick in mid for some reason
March 8th, 2008 at 13:24
…
March 8th, 2008 at 13:36
10 minutes to go.
March 8th, 2008 at 13:40
Squad for todays game
Man Utd
* 01 Van der Sar
* 06 Brown
* 05 Ferdinand
* 15 Vidic
* 03 Evra
* 07 Ronaldo
* 18 Scholes
* 04 Hargreaves
* 17 Nani
* 10 Rooney
* 32 Tevez
Substitutes
* 29 Kuszczak,
* 08 Anderson,
* 09 Saha,
* 16 Carrick,
* 22 O’Shea
March 8th, 2008 at 13:47
WOW SAHA AT IT AGAIN!!
March 8th, 2008 at 13:47
Change that bench, Balsa Wood hurt his knee in the warm up. Park come in for him.
March 8th, 2008 at 13:49
LOL….pre-match training injury…too good…proud of u saha!!!
March 8th, 2008 at 14:08
Oh fuckin hell rooney!
March 8th, 2008 at 14:10
That tackle deserved a red
March 8th, 2008 at 14:25
Total satisfaction. I don’t think we are doing something wrong. Credit to the Portsmouth defenders, but they’ll give in eventually.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:37
What the fuck is rooney doing??good performance but rooney is terrible.Whats happened to him…
March 8th, 2008 at 14:39
Credit to pompey’s defence…
I think Evra has been the man of the match up to this point..
Hargo has been shit… Hasn’t laid a tackle and can’t pass… Scholes has been invisible…
I’d like to see Carrick come in for one of them and Anderson come on for Nani at LM.
Rooney has been frustrating also…
Come on United!!!
March 8th, 2008 at 14:41
i believe we need to up the tempo a gear to catch them out or we
are in for a tense second half
March 8th, 2008 at 14:42
IS THE REF BLIND???????????????? THAT WAS A PENALTY!!!! HE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A RED!!!!
March 8th, 2008 at 14:42
They should bring Anderson on.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:44
im sorry but how has hargreaves been shit, pompey would of scored on us if it wasnt for him, him saving us a goal makes him shit i guess.p***.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:44
should have been up by two goals
March 8th, 2008 at 14:45
He’s frustrated, nothing more. And I’m hoping he thought he had more time than that but you never know. I want to know what happened to the Scholes from the Fulham game. As of right now, it looked more of Fulham’s shite defense then Scholes brilliant passing. With both him and Hargo in the mid, the game is way to slow for our attacking players, which is when Tevez has to track back to our third and Ronny feels like he has to carry the ball up himself.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:46
Carrick for hargreaves
March 8th, 2008 at 14:46
50/50 on the penalty… it was a shoulder barge, but he had his eyes straight on ronaldo..
Anderson needs to come on for sure..
We’ll be right.. 2-0 Tevez 49th min Anderson 75th
March 8th, 2008 at 14:50
Pompey would of scored if Hargo wasn’t playing? Don’t make me laugh Dan
March 8th, 2008 at 14:52
wow you where not watching the match, can remember who but a pompey player had a tap-in but hargo was there to clear more or less of the line, im 100% sure thst im not the only person who saw itt as the commentators said it ro and will most likely be on the high-lights.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:52
WTF!! They brought PIG on!!
Hargo did alright.
March 8th, 2008 at 14:55
so when do we expect rooney to grow up..every time he loses a ball, go on and commit a foul…nani isnt crossing that well today although his game has been good… rooney just doesnt stay that ahead as much as a striker should, ronaldo is bound to score today, hes having a blinder….
March 8th, 2008 at 14:56
did anyone catch edwin struggling with an injury i didn’t
March 8th, 2008 at 14:58
advantage portsmouth PIG doesn’t fill me with confidence.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:24
Oh fuck
March 8th, 2008 at 15:25
last of PIG i guess…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:26
best we could hpoe for is a draw.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:27
oh no the PIG has fucked us again
March 8th, 2008 at 15:27
thank god for foster…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:28
Fuck me but I hate this shit Referee.
Edit: may be he wasn’t too shit but I’m still fucking hate him.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:29
damn you PIG, damn you
March 8th, 2008 at 15:31
this ref has royally screwed us over.what are the fucking odds that
he would do this to us
March 8th, 2008 at 15:35
oh well bring on derby then.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:38
why was EVDS taken off. I caught no injuries at the end. WTF!! This shaping up to be one bad Saturday. I’m stay home tonight I guess.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:38
It’s a lose-lose situation. Even if we score, we’ll have a replay and it’s the last thing we want now. Unless we score two…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:38
Who’s in Goal by the way?? IF we draw do we get a reply??
March 8th, 2008 at 15:39
this loss really hurts…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:40
I think the thing that screwed us was starting and staying with Hargo and Scholes. Then taking off our only real striker today for Carrick. Oh, not to mention PIG for VDS at the half.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:41
Somebody please tell me why Schole stills on the pitch as the only thing he does is playing simple pass and can’t even tackle. Oh, he is Scholes after all…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:44
atleast one less fixture to worry about
March 8th, 2008 at 15:44
PIG did nothing wrong, it was all Rooney there!! DAMN!! Anderson was pointing and shouting to the middle but they both went on the same guy and left Baros alone. As for that dickhead… WHAT A DIVE!!
March 8th, 2008 at 15:44
we were screwed and i want a full investigation into this match.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:45
unbelievable… if we had lost because we were outplayed by pompey, so be it.
but to lose this way is really gut-wrenching.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:46
If VDS wasnt injured then fergie needs to explain what the fuck this was.Hargreaves must not play these games.When we control games like this we dont need him.The need for a clinical striker has fucked us up.Fucking ruined my day.And saha must go.Terminate his contract!sorry for the language.I cant believe we are out.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:47
I don’t know how getting kicked in the head gets u a red card? PIG hesitated and then Baros just kicks him in the head and his off… Oh well fuck it! Pompey’s only chance of a trophy..
We can concentrate on the league and champs league i guess…
Scholes? Enough is enough!!
Nani needs to learn how to deal with tough situations… he is young i spose..
And Grog ur 100% right on Rooney’s 1st touch… it has deserted him
March 8th, 2008 at 15:47
You really can’t blame the slection by SAF. The team was one of the best we could’ve put on. The LUCK. You can simply put it down to our bad luck.. This should’ve been a 5-1 for us. Its a cruel cruel game.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:47
wow this sucks, im so lost for words, i cant even begin to do a match report, i mean fergies subs left a little to be desired, i mean we’re nil nil, and you take off a striker to bring on a defensive mid, and why was VDS taken off, i did not see an injury to him, even still PIG was not the last man rooney and anderson where ahead speaking of which, why were they in defense, they are attacking players, not centre backs, poor performance, with a little luck, would have been wonderful, i mean how many goal line clearances
March 8th, 2008 at 15:48
Why did tevez go off?
March 8th, 2008 at 15:49
And another loss with new-signing Owen Hagreaves played as a starter.
I have noticed that nearly every match we played with Owen Hagreaves, we conceded at least one.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:49
the Ref was a fucking shocker
March 8th, 2008 at 15:51
“I have a nagging feeling that Muntari might blast in a belter past Kuszczak, but that’s just me” Redranter
March 8th, 2008 at 15:53
That stupid Steve Mcmahon and MacIteer… Scouserrs…. Fucking sayin that Portsmouth just almost desrved it… Who made them football pundits… Bad luck man.. I stopped counting the goal line clearences by pompey who btw should get a mention for thier performance… there goes the treble.. my head hurts…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:54
Who would of predicted it would be a penalty and past Ferdinand?
March 8th, 2008 at 15:54
foster will probably play next match i guess. rooney needs to go back to grass roots and learn simple things like accurate passing and shooting, nani had an ok game but his crossing needs to be more consistent, we were playing with 9 players today, what the hell was scholes doing 1/10 for me, im sorry bt today was just… i dont even know how to say it, i mean look at the first few minutes, a blatant penalty for us, a blatant dive for them and they get a goal i mean so many things went wrong today, that referee needs a sacking. im just so speechless and annoyed. fuck me, fuck the FA, fuck that ginger git redknapp and fuck Portsmouth.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:55
And fuck Tony Adams that Mug!
March 8th, 2008 at 15:56
Speechless, humiliated, dissapointed, sad……I feel terrible, dont want to say anything more than:
1. That ref sucks, ban him from the pitch; and
2. At least now we can fully focus on the CL and Premier League.
I dont wanna say anything more now…
March 8th, 2008 at 15:56
RedRanter: Can you not put up the match review.. I don’t think ill ever be able to digest this….
March 8th, 2008 at 15:57
RedDevil: there wasn’t a case of focus in any case… There was only a match after this… and the finals would’ve been much later… We should have won this period
March 8th, 2008 at 15:58
take of a cm and a striker for 2 cm’s and this is what you get, the referee needs to be sacked and MUST be a full investigation into this match.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:58
Well, at least the double is more do-able than the treble.
March 8th, 2008 at 15:59
We were Xerxes army and Pompy were the Spartans(300 anyone)
waves and waves of attack and still no goals and one freak incident and were fucked
my most worry at the moment ain’t aboubt crashing out of the fa cup but will the players keep their chin up and fight back ??
I hope so
and by the way my all my frustrations goes toward SOB PIG not even half an hour on pitch and u screw us but then ref was harsh but still it was one of those days the pessimist inside me was shouting right from the half time that we will lose and damn it happened
Looking forward to winning the premiership and CL and then Killing the cup winners in community shield sort of completing the treble
sad sad saturday night for me
March 8th, 2008 at 15:59
was there really the need to send 8 men forward?
March 8th, 2008 at 16:00
I am disgusted. i agree with utsav, i don’t want to see the match review .I just want to forget about it.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:00
My, aren’t we being gracious in defeat
So who is the scapegoat today then???
March 8th, 2008 at 16:01
Listen guys, can’t blame anyone else but ourself. As much as we say the ref screwed us with penalties on both sides of the pitch, we should’ve atleast scored 1. No excuses for that.
Carrick’s shot sleared off the line. Wtf was with our luck. Distins leg was just dangling and out of the whole goal the ball goes and hits that. Rooney’s miss was flabbergasting.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:02
What we lost the game today and may make us not win anything this year was the lack of of
a proper striker. Rooney is wasted and frustrated playing frontline and this affecting his
game. We just cannot score from crosses so we have to over elaborate to get through
the defence and when it does not work players become frustrated.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:03
JB, that’s funny enough.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:04
We were unlucky and commited a big defensive mistake… At this level… We´re out!
Anderson should have kicked the ball anywhere, instead of trying to keep it, and then Rooney should have covered Baros at the centre. Big Big mistake, almost a childish one!
March 8th, 2008 at 16:06
What about saha? he was on subs bench and then he got injured while he was coming from tunnel to the bench.how disgusting is that?how many times he got injured that way.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:08
your gonna hate me for this but rooney needs piss of until he can get a basic shot right.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:09
utsav-I fully agree with you. I was also watching those Mcmahon and McAteer fools.
I am so disappionted…I don’t have words to describe
We only lost because of the incompetent referee.it was definitely not a sending off and probably not even a penalty.our perfomance was fine but finishing let us down.
A good thing from this result though…Ferguson must realise he needs to sign an out and out striker.
And I almost forgot…apalling substitutions by Fergie.Tevez and Hargreaves should have stayed.rooney and scholes to be taken off.hargo could have offered defensive cover.
And shocking game from rooney. he needs to be dropped and recover his touch.We could have used Manucho in these type of matches.
PS.we also need a right-back who can cross.brown is awful offensively.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:09
have to completely agree with frankie….its hitting us right in our faces… “STRIKER MISSING”…saha would have offered a lot more, but he needed an excuse to get injured again…damn our luck….and yeah..SACK THE REF…
March 8th, 2008 at 16:10
I agree pedro but what was the need to push that much at that stage. At least one of our defender should be there dealing with it. i don’t blame ronney because he is not a defender.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:13
saha needs to be sold. and silvestre to make way for a goal scorer, tevez and rooney ain’t nothing if one of them are under performing, like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if the jelly is off, the sandwich tastes like crap, and crap don’t work for anyone.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:14
Rooney was at fault there. Anderson was pointing to the middle and shouting, but Rooney was just his usual self. After all he knows best, doesn’t he? And yea he needs to learn how to pass and finish again, but he also needs to play with an out and out striker. That’s his style of play and he will not do well if put in unusual positions.
Nice analogy, Dan. Damn!! Im out o jelly!!
March 8th, 2008 at 16:14
I feel very bad because i thought we could have won it this time.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:16
I am not defending ronney but it is outrageous to push that much at that moment.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:17
when is bolton game anyway
March 8th, 2008 at 16:18
All of you are extremely harsh on PIG. What do you think EVDS would have done better? Tackle, steal the ball, move forward and score a goal? Every goalkeeper would have done the same thing: protect his goal by any means possible.
The only negative of this defeat is that we literally handed the FA cup to Chelski.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:21
I really feel for PIG he got a match after such a long time and got sent off
March 8th, 2008 at 16:21
I get up at 6am in the morning for the match. Since streaming is kinda slow at my hotel, I walk 20 min in the freezing rain to my office to watch it there. And then I get to see THIS match? HEARTBREAK.
When the Carrick chance SOMEHOW didn’t go in, I could see the writing on the wall saying “THIS IS JUST NOT OUR DAY!!!”. It’s a combination of pure bad luck + not making better of use of some chances that has seen us out of the FA Cup. Can only hope the boys pick themselves up and get ready for some tough matches ahead. There is still the CL and BPL to be won.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:21
Don’t blame Hargreaves - for Fucks sake, he shouldn’t have gone off - SHOLES should!. Anderson inexperience cost us really where the goal was concerned, and Rooney’s lunacy at times - he’s so often out of control when a cool head is needed. And Rooney’s sensational misses are legendary. Sir Fergie made tactical errors, we need a goal, and he takes Tevez off - and that after he himself said that Tev seems to always be there to snatch that needed goal - laughable. But hey, I’m not going to let it get me down - if I could choose out of the three to win, I would have ALWAYS chosen Premiership trophy and Champions league. So for all true red fanatics everywhere - remember how we famously sing Que Serra, Serra, WHATEVER WILL BE WILL BE. WE MARCH ON.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:23
You know we have to play with the same set of players for the rest of the season. It was a great line up. Could’ve ripped anyone to shreds. But bad luck took us out. Chelsea will not win it pompey will. their last match against preston was also like this one. they have the luck.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:26
Mcmahon and McAteer are unbearable
March 8th, 2008 at 16:31
All credit to Portsmouth… uck wasnt on our side today and in all honesty you felt that the strange VDS switch and using all 3 subs was a little bit much… I must also say though the referee obviousley wanted to make a name for himself and he sure did. I will never understand the apointments of referees for knock out cup games…
March 8th, 2008 at 16:34
ref was horrible
March 8th, 2008 at 16:37
Rooney should always play in his position –> second striker… He´s getting frustrated and feeling the pressure of assuring us the goals we require… The way is playing resembles me a lot to “Alan Smith”, which as you know can´t be good.
It´s obvious we need a striker and without one, it isn´t possible to win the Champions League, you can forget it! My hopes rely in the Premier League! But even then, we´ve been shaky and far far way from last year´s form. We´ll have to pray a lot to not to get injuries.
In the penalty play… i don´t think it´s PIG or Rooney´s fault. The mistake is from Anderson who can´t loose the fucking ball there… It was childish! Let´s not defend Anderson just because there is a big buz and hype around him.
By the way, it wasn´t the first time on the game, that Pompey made that play. In a previous one, Baros has won the ball to Hargreaves (which is well know by his “excelent defending”, at least around this blog), but the referee has spoted a fault. Hargreaves has been the flop of the year.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:38
how are you going to blame hargreaves when the goal was conceded after he was taking off?
March 8th, 2008 at 16:43
shut the fuck up you muppet if anyone has been a flop its rooney!
March 8th, 2008 at 16:50
Pratyush- Bolton game is wednesday March 19th.
We were unlucky, ref sucked and United are out of the cup. But congrats to Pompey, they defended well! Even though we missed many, many chances they were great 7/10 of the time. I hope we crush Derby and Pool, that will make me feel lots better. I dont want to blame anyone except for the ref. Ronaldo tried, Anderson did a mistake for their goal, but he will learn. James was amazing, he ruined many things for us! That save from Evra cost us the win, it was after that corner we conceded. Rooney should be out of the team until he has a talk with Ole, but he seems more confused and frustrated than lost confidence. He should have scored when 1-on-1 with James in the first half; I mean, he should realise that a player dont use 90 minutes to get back 20 yards.
………….Anyway…I dont want to blame him, he created some chances for us, we just didnt take them! Ronaldo is the best finisher we have, and that is bad for us! With Saha injured, Tevez out of form, Rooney not scoring when 0,1 yards away from goal and Ronaldo being a winger, we come back to Uniteds greatest problem…We need a world class finisher. Benzema, Huntelaar, Adebayor..Everyone is welcomed!
Guys, we can still win the treble(Charity Shield, Premier League and Champions League). I would be pleased if we only won the Prem though. Not delighted, but I would settle for it.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:56
Fuck, I just remembered that this is the first match we have lost with Rooney on the pitch! And who will be playing in goal against Derby.
March 8th, 2008 at 16:56
lets forget about the game coz more we discuss more we’re gonna critise and in the end something like this will happen
Group 1
#1 no proper striker
#2 nani’s crosses sucked
#3 Scholes needs to go
#4 Saha aka Mr. Glass needs to be sold
#5 Rooney needs to go back to the basic lessons
#6 we need a striker and a right back
#7 SAF tactics were wrong - Hopeless subs
Group 2
#1 Rooney and tevez have done it in the past they should have done it today as well
#2 nani’s young will learn slowly
#3 Are u crazy he’s got so much experience
#4 Saha is still a good back up
#5 He’ll be alrite soon he’s a class act
#6 Yeah cant argue there much except that manucho and tevez rooney and saha should be enough for next season and wes brown is use less offensively we all know that
#7 For god sake fergie is GOD dont u know that
Special Note: - this is a sarcastic post to be taken lightly and plz don’t flame me up I’m equally sad and pissed that we lost today but I’m gonna take it as one of those days we were destined to loose
March 8th, 2008 at 16:57
[Dan]
I’ve warned you million times over, just because someone doesn’t agree with you, doesn’t make him a muppet. Don’t talk bollocks.
[Everyone]
It’s gutting to go out like this but let’s not pick villains out of this game. Honestly I am shocked at some of the comments over here. Let me gather my thoughts together and come up with a match report tomorrow, but people, calm the hell down! It’s not as if we were outplayed.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:00
Lets not lose our temper. Its was just a bad day at the office. Portsmouth tactic was much physical play. We had clear chances to score during the first and second half. Our overall play was good but just we could not take our chances. We were not clinical in front of the goal. Maybe another striker on the bench who have heading attributes would bring another option to our attacking play
March 8th, 2008 at 17:06
RR- I think it is wrong to blame anyone(except for the ref), but we are right to point out what was bad with the performance.
Anyway, United will come back strong and ready for the next challenge, that is what they always do. WE WILL NEVER DIE!
March 8th, 2008 at 17:08
Redranter: It the way of fans these days, someone has to be hung drawn and quartered for every point dropped, every goal conceded and every loss. Fickle doesn’t even come close to suming it up. It was also interesting to note that we played the legendary attacking 4-4-2 way and we still lost. Maybe this football marleky isn’t as simple as some people would paint it out to be.
Dan: The incident Pedro was referring to was when Hargreaves let Baros through one on one and the referee pulled it back for shirt pulling. Looking at the replay I would say Hargreaves was fortunate to get away with it as it looked six of one, half a dozen of another between the two of them.
As for the goal I wouldn’t blame PIG. There were two opportunities for Rooney and Anderson to spilt up and take a man each (first for Rooney and then for Anderson) and they spurned them both.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:18
Fergie agrees with me:
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=539309
March 8th, 2008 at 17:22
this may sound a little out of context, but
has anyone noticed that anderson plays extremely poorly when played as attacking midfielder behind the striker.(lyon, some games is epl)
he plays much better when played as a proper CM (scholes, gerrard postion) wherein he makes those harrying tackles and makes bursting runs through the middle(liverpool game)
what do u guys think?
March 8th, 2008 at 17:35
JB: wtf man… Majority here are just frustrated and are just ranting.. its the entire point of this site… it hurt bad coz we were the better team… next season, the same fans willl be back even if we dont win anything… stop taking a high moral ground
March 8th, 2008 at 17:36
Where to start? Too much is being made of the penalty that beat us. To be honest, Portsmouth should have needed 3 or 4 goals to beat us but instead, we beat ourselves today with a little help from the ref and a whole lot of bad luck. There were many reasons for the loss today but nobody should complain about the lineup. And to all of you out there who love to blame Hargreaves for the loss, sorry but he is not the problem here. It’s not like he was responsible for three goals in open play. The blame for this loss lies in another surprisingly strong performance on the road by Harry’s boys and a United team that looked way out of sync due to fatigue. Lets face it, the lads are tired. They are knackered and this does not spell good things for the future. Ronaldo especially was far from sharp and the signs of fatigue were evident in his passing and lack of finishing today.
United took Pompey lightly, and nobody should dispute that fact. Our arrogance at home finally kicked us in the face. Fergie fielded a strong lineup (although I would have started Carrick over Scholes) and it looked like they were set up 4-4-2. So why did we lose? Because we never took our opportunities and because we have become a bunch of drama queens always whining and crying for fouls to be called. Add to that a peculiar change of tactics by Fergie just before the goal. He went out for an all out attack and left only three players back. And because of this we got handed a terrible counter attack that lead to the penalty being given for an infraction I would have given yellow for and not red. Enough all ready! We had a bad game and our lack of sharpness coupled with very bad luck cost us a chance at the FA Cup and a Treble.
So where do we go from here? I’m worried this loss is going to carry over because it was a confidence killer and because we looked very tired. I am also getting sick and tired of watching the kid out there wearing number ten trying to do his best Wayne Rooney imitation but instead, he is looking more like Dirk Kuyt. Rooney has become an enigma to be sure. He certainly isn’t a true striker but what really has me confused about his terrible run of form has been the inability to figure out the main reason for it. One time he hesitates too long and loses out on a chance, the next he jumps the gun and doesn’t show his regular composure. He’s fighting himself and this is a big problem for him and for United. He’s also tired because Fergie rarely sits him down or even takes him off late in a game. I have been saying for a a long time that everyone talks about our depth in the midfield and in the back four but our Achilles heel is and will be our lack of depth at striker or forward. The other problem is that the ones that we have aren’t prolific enough to carry a club when it isn’t playing well. How many times did RVN and before him Hughes, Cole, Yorke get big goals for us when weren’t at our best? Or was it Ole ore Sheringham coming off the bench. No team on the planet has a better or deeper midfield and one that can score like ours, but we are very mediocre up front. Yes Rooney and Tevez have skill but they also need to score more goals. Saha, well we all know about him so the less said about his inability to perform the better. This game and perhaps more will be lost this season because of fatigue and because Fergie never addressed the striker problem in January.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:39
i am just so ticked because of this loss. at least now we dont HAVE to play rooney as it was coincidence that the other 5 times we lost this season he wasnt on the field. saf is trying to play anderson in the kaka role, he was playing 4-2-1-3 towards the end, anderson is playing more like a cm(gerrard scholes lampard) rather than a cam(kaka ronaldinho kerlon)
March 8th, 2008 at 17:48
yea i give, we need(ed) a striker, manucho does look like a genuine goalscorer but he means nothing to us if he is in greece, i dont know if welbeck is a goalscorer so it looks like we are going to be screwed out of the league and CL, are squad is near perfect but without the striker. we could win the league but it would take alot of digging, we could win the CL but we would need an easy team like the turks in 1/4 finals and then an english team in 1/2 finals.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:51
[Utsav]
Mate, there’s nothing wrong in pointing out what went wrong. The problem is making villains out of players. That’s what’s wrong. Have a look at the highlights. I counted 9 chances. If we put even one third of that, everyone would be singing a different tune. And to be honest two were genuine chances that would have gone in 1 out of 10. Could there have been a case where we could have held our hands up and said, “Oh well, we had a bad day”? No. That’s never happened. And that’s what saddens me and I think JB.
There is nothing wrong in having an objective analysis of how players played, but I have see plenty of times people saying players to be dropped because of the performance in the game.
Let’s be fair, we stamped all over Portsmouth. We were more unfortunate than ever, unlike our game against City. It’s fine to be hurt wanting to see your team win. But outrightly slating the players (for no reason) with the excuse that you want the good of the team only is plain wrong. I am not singling you out here, but it’s also a test of fans character to say well played lads when the team does play well and has victory turned into defeat. There’s nothing wrong being a little gracious. This is precisely why United fans are labelled as fair weather fans and glory hunters. I know that’s unfair but it’s at times like this that makes it hard for some one to disagree.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:54
[Grognard]
I don’t think we took Pompey lightly because, from the number of chances we created and the way we attacked, we should have won this game. Converting even two or three of these would have made things seem entirely different. Our biggest error was over committing leaving Anderson at the back.
I choose to be positive despite the setback. My only disappointment is that Chelsea have their easiest path to the FA Cup title.
March 8th, 2008 at 17:55
RR: I totally agree. And if you read my comments, all i’ve said is that it was bad luck… and i also agree that people do tend to go overborad, but all that is quite immidiate… can’t expect people to be objective coz they r so passionate…and by using phrases like” fans these days” is a bit annoying… give a bit of a leeway is all im saying..
March 8th, 2008 at 17:58
i think it was one of those days, i mean, look at that carrick chance, you can tell that if that was the arse match, or the toon match, that would of gone in. even though i believe it was one of those days rooney really needs go back to grass roots, and scholes needs to shape up a bit to but not like rooney.
March 8th, 2008 at 18:07
[Utsav]
As I said, I am not singling you out. I know it’s hard to be sane being a fan, but when you do see the same fans do that for every set back you tend to wonder if we, as United fans, have been a bit spoiled by so much success. It’s the same frustration that might have caused JB to use phrases like “fans these days” and if you think about it, it’s not too far from the truth. There’s nothing wrong in ranting your spleen — like how Grognard does it at times (passionate, objective but willing to change his mind if a player does show promise) but saying things like this player is shite after having one bad game is more annoying than phrases like “fans these days”.
In fact I know of fans who call for Fergie to retire after a defeat. I mean, come on!
March 8th, 2008 at 18:08
Ustav: I’m giving the fans as much leeway as they normally reserve for the players and the manager. Ahh well, if you can’t beat them join them. To quote old Redissue/Redcafe mantra, sack Fergie, sell Giggs
March 8th, 2008 at 18:16
The game wasn’t lost because of fatigue at all. Bad ref decision for ronaldo penalty claim (although lets be honest, ronaldo’s hardly an honest player so he kind of deserves this from time to time) and then after that a good, organised, hard working team managed to do enough to keep us out. No luck and heroic defending.
Their goal was terrible aswell. Rooney and anderson as the last men defending are bad tactics. It showed when they both ran like idiots towards the man with the ball. It’s more rooney’s fault than anderson’s as where they were positionally it made sense that rooney stayed in the middle and anderson pressed the ball. Anderson gave him a shout too. Why are some blaming kuszczak? He was left one-on-one. It was probably a penalty but he was unlucky to be sent off.
March 8th, 2008 at 18:27
Apologies if anyone is annoyed with the phrase ‘fans these days’, but there seems to be an ever decreasing amount of patience, understanding of dips in form and acceptance of pure bad luck. Players are heralded as the second coming after a handful of appearances, whilst others who have put in fine performances year after year are consigned to the scrap heap after the first sign of a dip in form.
PIG came on today and people were ready to jump on him before he had even touched the ball. Then he takes a hammering for giving away the penalty before people even consider if there is anything else he could have done. Rooney gets hammered for poor finishing, despite only having one clear chance, whilst Tevez’s performance gets overlooked. The list goes on and on. People seem to get preconceived notions in there head rather than attempting to judge players on what has actually happened on the field.
Rant over
March 8th, 2008 at 18:28
well on an up, we can look forward to a foster debut next week(thats if Vds is still injured of course)
March 8th, 2008 at 18:32
We played our hearts out, to be honest.
If only Rooney had successfully (for once) beaten the keeper when thru on goal,
If only Tevez hadnt shot the rebound straight at johnson,
If only Carrick had had quicker feet,
If only Evra’s screaming volley had punched a hole through net instead of meeting James’s fingers along the way,
If only we had a taller striker up front who could make something of Nanis POOOR crosses today………
IF ONLY…….
Life is CRUEL
POSITIVES:
I found Ronaldo in the mould of Ronaldo of 06-07 season. Not a matchwinning performance, but after a long time I saw him play like a WINGER. Taking the ball along the sidelines and dribbling his way through.
There were moments of brilliance from United. Back heels and flicks which put us thru with only the keeper to beat. Evra’s support in the attack was admirable, and the volley…awesome!
Defending was super-solid until the 77th minute. Did anyone even notice that Kanu was ever on the pitch??
Now the target isnt as lofty as the treble. I would have easily bet my last buck on us reliving 1999 this season, but how can it be when u have a million chances to fuckin seal the game and still u r thwarted. The finishing was piss pooooor, but then how have we managed to have the best goal difference in the goddamned league eh?
So, all I can say is, BAD BAD BAD DAY. Hope it will be last one for this season.
March 8th, 2008 at 18:42
RedRanter; JB.. Touche… and apologies…
March 8th, 2008 at 18:44
Ronaldo:
“The ref protects the defender, not the skilled player! It’s very disappointing and I’m thinking a lot about changing my game. When referees don’t give penalties, yellow cards or reds, it’s difficult to play.”
That was Ronaldo after today’s game, worried about what might happen to him, especially after the Eduardo nightmare.
Scared of playing his game?? Man, this isnt good news is it? Somebody please get him a shrink.
March 8th, 2008 at 18:50
Well Speechless !
‘The Match had Anti Climax written all over it ‘
The moment Evra hit the post i knew it was one of those games where it does not belong to u !
Well Refree made stupid decisions which literally kept them in the match !
Diarra and Muntari knew they weren’t going to get a card , so took maximum advantage of it !
Distin one was a clear penalty ! However having said that Hargo was left off for that foul !
PIG did not deserve a red card at all .. What did he do !
Well looking to players performances today will be bad however ought to be done !
1) Nani is a very good work in progress ! Credits must be given to him even though he may not be the star ! He tracked back very well ! Put in a lot of OK Crosses …
2)Rooney and Tevez are future stars ! They will be the best attacking combination , however a couple of things …
Rooney`s first touch is messed up badly , Tevez should have sealed the game when he missed a absolute sitter of a pass to Evra . Even though he had a good rest , he seems to be extremely lacking in pace , hope thats something temporary
3)Hargo played very well .. He controlled the Mid-field very well however he should also get support from other Mid-fielder .. Scholes was below par by his standards …
4)I m ok with Changing Mid-field however we all know ‘ANDERSON is WaYYY TOO Good ! to be left out ! ‘
The day did not belong to us , another day we would have won it !
March 8th, 2008 at 19:28
no use getting all bent out of shape. What a silly bogus anomaly of a game. seriously, when was the last time you saw someone concede a penalty by being kicked in the head? we’re still alright. at least we wont have to worry about arsenal having fewer fixtures than us. besides we’ve already won truckloads of FA cups.
March 8th, 2008 at 19:41
Mihir- That aint good; that is terrible! Hope he doesnt think about moving because of that. He is our best player, THE worlds best player, and if we lose him, we might not win anything in some years! He is amazing, Ive run out of adjectives this season! I hope he still will play like he does and doesnt change anything!
If VDS isnt fit to play against Derby, Foster will get his debut! Maybe he will play against Bolton too.
March 8th, 2008 at 19:50
Dan, reading the comments how many times must you put Foster? yeah let’s throw him in for his debut after 8 months out, watch him screw up, yeah, that’ll do his confidence a world of good…how old are you, seriously?
One bad game, if Chelsea weren’t still in the cup (therefore giving them the trophy by default)then it could have even been a blessing in disguise, we need to concentrate on Europe and the league.
March 8th, 2008 at 20:18
Last time I looked Chelsea was losing 1-0. How’s Avram Grant gonna explain that one? The bottom line today was that bad luck on the pitch and off cost us this game. We blew many chances which I attribute to lack of focus, concentration and the body just not registering with the brain fast enough due to physical fatigue. Just because you are running up and down the park and creating chances does not mean you are not tired. Ronaldo looked very tired because his focus and concentration were way off. The other element of bad luck is having drawn yet another Prem club in the FA Cup. What is that 11 or 12 in a row. What are the mathematical odds of that happening? And Red Ranter I do believe that the lads did take Pompey lightly. It’s human nature when you are very good and you are playing a big game at home to expect to win. Problem is their bodies let them down today. This is abad omen for the future as there are tougher matches ahead and little room for error. Another hiccup or two and we end up with zero silverware.
March 8th, 2008 at 20:23
Well well well,,,, what do we know… it wasnt as easy as chelsea… they r out… barnsley are the team of the year…
March 8th, 2008 at 20:24
i still don’t believe it.. avram is in some trouble…
March 8th, 2008 at 20:24
1st time soooo many year none of the top 4 will win the fa cup
March 8th, 2008 at 20:32
What the hell is happening today !
Chelsea loose 1-0
For those who did not see it please some how find and see the clip of Ricardo Carvalho foul at the 90th minute ..
Absolute Cunt ! ( Sorry for my barbaric language )
He had no intention of getting the ball and howard (I guess) was on a clear two on one chance ! It was more than a RED !
Even the commentator was screaming ‘How did Ricardo escape that ! Where as our PIG gets hit on the head and instead gets a red !
Fucking ref !!!!!
March 8th, 2008 at 20:43
Atleast our defeat wasn’t the biggest shock of the day! BARNSLEY
First Liverpool, Then Chelsea next it will be Barcelona!!!
March 8th, 2008 at 20:49
Rick, there were covering defenders when Carvalho took the Barnsley player down. I’m not a fan of Bennett but he made the right call there.
March 8th, 2008 at 20:52
Come on Barnsley! You deserve it!!
March 8th, 2008 at 20:54
Well come on lads, enough of the pessimism, it could be worse, at least we weren’t knocked out by barnsley
the pressure will start to get to Grant, very soon, or worse he’ll get the sack… but sure that helps us rule out a title contender so …. 
March 8th, 2008 at 21:02
May be Barnsley will win the FA cup:). Hell, they win againt Liverpool and Chelsea, I’m thinking maybe we are lucky not playing them as they have proved they are the toughest team in the tournament.
March 8th, 2008 at 21:10
Well JB for me that was a clear red . Where was the intent in getting the ball ? Cudiccini had to come out and dive and clear the ball before the other guy intercepted it (or) May be i m pissed off by ours
- Diarra commits 7 or 8 reckless fouls, only receives 1 yellow card.
- Blatant penalty decision turned down.
- The EXACT same foul committed outside the box 5 mins later, he gives a freekick.
- Kuszczak gets straight red despite NOT being the last man.
March 8th, 2008 at 21:37
I’m glad that people are starting to be honest about Rooney. He is a good player but his form is shocking since coming back from injury. I really wish ferguson would have pulled the trigger on torres.
I think we all need to relax it sucks to lose but we are still fighting for the league and we have as good as chance as anyone else to take the champions league.
March 8th, 2008 at 21:42
It hurts like hell today.It just wasn’t our day today….But we should not overlook some glaring shortcomings that we have…we don’t have a tall and out and out striker to change the game when the going is tough…Rooney is not a proper striker,he lacks composure in front of goal… SAF is too soft on older players.he still plays scholes and giggs when they are past their prime.Scholes was invisible today on the pitch..why take tevez out when we need a goal..it should have been scholes to be substituted…I thought we had a very good chance of winning the double i.e the league and the fa cup…i still think we lack firepower to win the champions league this year,but we blew it today…OH GOD..WHAT THE FUCK…I’m just so dissapointed..i don’t know what to say…i feel awful..May be it was one of those days….i feel slightly better to see chelski go out as well…that cunt terry must be pulling his hair out.
March 8th, 2008 at 22:07
Some of the refereeing in england is just atrocious….who picks these guys?this atkinson guy was disgusting today…he didn’t give a penalty to ronaldo…he books rooney when he doesn’t even get contact…how the hell was PIG sent off…he wasn’t the last man,there were two people behind…that bastard Baros….that was a blatant DIVE…NO PENALTY…I think some referees are hell bent to put manchester united down….they just don’t like our club success…on another note rooney cannot score even if his life were at stake at the moment…he cannot defend…he should have marked the man in the centre and not go after the ball,anderson was alone capable..he can’t create then what the fuck is he on the pitch for?…And that bullshit shit piece of glass[SAHA]needs a kick up his backside…he finds the strangest ways to get injured when he’s needed most..
March 8th, 2008 at 22:09
just thought that I would throw my two pennies worth in, coz today was one of those says that the phrase (its a funny old game)was coined for. Let me start by saying that if todays game was played 100 times, we would win 99 times and Portsmouth just the once,despite some dodgy refereeing decisions and some questionable tactics by SAF.
We definately should have won that game today and it was freaky that we didnt, but having said that, one or two things are starting to seriously worry me concerning the form of some of our players and SAFs ability to pick the best team to get the job done from match to match. Before I make my first point I would just like to say that I love Rooney and his work rate and attitude as well as his undoubted talent, but lets be honest, the kids having a poor season and his lack of form in front of goal is starting to hurt us. Goals change games and his wasted chance today could have killed Pompey, forcing them to come out and attack. Against Lyon in both legs he had chances to kill the tie off and failed to do so and against the better sides we might be in trouble. Its partly not his fault coz hes not an out and out no9 and our lack of a proper goalgetter is starting to take its toll on his confidence. Secondly, why did SAF start with two holding midfielders against a team that came to avoid defeat and concede the midfield and put 10 men behind the ball. I am Scholesys biggest fan, but today Anderson should definately have started in his place and Im afraid old father time has caught up with both him and Giggsy.
I hope we win the 2 competitions left, but Im starting to get a bad feeling about it, sorry for sounding so pessimistic but Ive been feeling like this even before todays game,
March 8th, 2008 at 22:18
ron, well who else are we going to put in goal? VDS is most likely injured next week, PIG is suspended, so its between foster and heaton, i would rather have foster thank you.
March 8th, 2008 at 22:25
lol at saha,him walking got him injured what a waste of money, i mean we spent 13mil(it was 13 mil right?) on a guy who gets injured by walking, maybe that money could of contributed to us buying a striker in january.
March 8th, 2008 at 22:28
Cup of Dreams… Never fail to set up some sort of Fairy-tale results.. And this time round, it has to befall on Manchester United playing at HOME… Watched the highlights and was appalled at some of the misses we had. Although 75% of the misses can be attributed to great defending and goalkeeping, we had failed to score when it matters. Call it unlucky or not, it is still the missed chances that costed us heavily this time round.
Rooney was never bought as a out-and-out striker and he will never be as incisive as hardcore strikers like Ruud or Toni… They do not try the fanciful and highly skilful shots…Tevez is good but once again this kind of matches showed that we need someone physical which I though Saha can provide. BUT, once again another knee injury… He could have made a huge difference (as Alex Ferguson had previously highlighted). BUT his ‘not-up-to scratch’ body failed us when we needed him most. It is a GREAT MAN UTD line-up. So, kudos to Portsmouth for grinding out the results. Time to move on and hopefully this defeat will remind them that not all home games are guaranteed victories. 1 points behind Arsenal and hopefully a kind draw in the Champions’ League and a smooth run from there!
Glory Glory Man United!
March 8th, 2008 at 22:33
a quote from ronny
“Sometimes they just protect the defenders and I am thinking about having to change my game because it is difficult to play like that.”
March 8th, 2008 at 23:15
About Rooney.
Some of you guys really don’t get the point.
One of the regulars on this board rightly said that Rooney is simply not a striker.
Let’s suppose he is a striker and delivers the performance of today. His rating = 6/10
Now let’s suppose he delivers the same performance but now as an attacking midfielder. His rating would be more like 7.5/10
OK his touch has definitely deserted him for some time now, and I too am worried that he might become the United equivalent of Del Piero at Juve, i.e a player who starts the match no matter how good he is playing recently.
But let’s not forget that his passing contribution to our game is key to United playing well.
This was the first time Utd suffered defeat while Rooney played, right?
But still United played some good football overall and we lost more out of sheer bad luck.
March 8th, 2008 at 23:34
By the way, about half the Utd games I watch, I get in on french television, with (obviously) french commentary.
Let’s just say that their the french technical knowledge of the game really shames that of their Albion counterparts.
Its no surprise that the average gaelic player is usually more technically gifted than the british player.
Anyways, where I’m coming to is that those commentators, which I really rate (except for their disgusting biased proclamation that Arse football is the greatest invention since that of the wheel) all agree on one point - Rooney is amazing.
And that’s not after just this one game.
Perhaps some of you guys have been so used to the energetical style of Roo and Tevez that they forgot how most strikers actually play.
Yep, I’m talking about what most of you deem as the laziness of Saha.
In all cases it is true that for the amount of minutes he plays, his goals returns is simply not what most of us expect. Tevez for one, and I’m sure even Saha, provided he stays fit, would score many more goals than Rooney if they played the same number of minues. He has to improve.
But please do not underestimate his in game contribution because its one of the elements defining Utd play recently.
March 8th, 2008 at 23:43
Nico: I have to agree with that assessment of Rooney. Even today he combined beautifully with Ronaldo on a number of occasions and created goal scoring chances for us. His movement, work rate and passing were all good IMO. With regards to his much maligned finishing, he only fluffed one decent chance today and even then I’ve seen no one comment on the poor ball that was fed through by Tevez for that chance. If Tevez had weighted the ball properly, Campbell would never have had a hope of getting back and robbing Rooney.
March 8th, 2008 at 23:57
then why buy anderson?
March 9th, 2008 at 0:15
I think someone already said that Anderson is best when played in a Scholes-like position in central midfield. The ideal United line-up would be 4-4-1-1 with Rooney playing support striker and someone other than Tevez ahead of him. That would leave two midifield spots to be filled and Anderson should be in one of those.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:34
Nico, its not thay Rooneys touch has deserted him, its were he is recieving the ball.
To play with your back to goal when you recieve the ball is something which is unnatural for Rooney who is better when he plays off the front man in the space between midfield and up front. When he plays in the hole he can turn and face the defenders, but up front 9 times out of 10 the defenders are tight and I think he is struggling to curb the tendency to turn all the time, which you cant do up there which is why during the 15 mins today he was dropping deaper and deaper, leaving us with no up there.
Rooney and Tevez can and have played well together, but both of them would play better with a proper no9 in the team which would give SAF a big decision to make between Rooney and Tevez.
Fergies got some big choices to make, not just this season but in the summer with a striker and a right back a priority, and also Scholes and Giggs will have to be phased out to make sure Nani and Andersons progess isnt stifled.
March 9th, 2008 at 4:38
I think his touch has deserted him… He is also recieving in the wrong spots….
I’ve been so uneasy after this match… But Red Ranter is right, it’s not like we didn’t dominate
March 9th, 2008 at 4:50
I am really tired of the excuses made for Rooney’s inability to handle passes with his back to the ball as well as his play in general. What a load of shite. Rooney plays the role of forward therefore, his job is to be able to handle all balls fed to him whether his back is to the goal or not. The bottom line is he has never been prolific as a goal scorer but he has been far better than he has been of late. What he needs is extra training on the training ground (which I’m sure he’s getting) and a shock to the system. Perhaps what he needs is an old fashioned dose of getting scared straight. Bench him for a few games. In past years Fergie had no problem benching Van Nistelrooy or Beckham despite a big game coming. Rooney needs to understand that more is expected of him and just simple hard work ethic isn’t good enough. Too many supporters. In their eyes he can do no wrong because he works his socks off on the pitch. Well I’m sorry fellas but that’s not good enough. He’s paid to score and set up goals, and he hasn’t been doing enough of that of late. Sit him down and make him stew a bit. He has pride and this will fire him and his anger and embarrassment should help wake him from his slumber. If it does I have another solution. This one is very controversial and would border on heresy within the confines of OT. Sell him.. YES you read this right. Sell him.
No player is greater than the club and when a player seems to have reached his peak or he has lost his ability to make the difference, then perhaps he is in need of a new challenge. Either that or move him into the role Scholes played for years, AMF.
Now before some of you get you underwear in knots let me explain a few things. Rooney has tremendous value on the pitch. His presence, creativity and movement off the ball creates many chances for midfielders to exploit the opposition third and score goals. It’’s a great thing more players get in on the scoring. No team should count on just their strikers. Problem is that United is an anomaly in the game of football. Critiano Ronaldo alone has almost as many goals as Rooney, Tevez and Saha combined. Now in my books there is something wrong with that picture. Great for Ronny, not so great for strikers paid to score goals.
I say it’s time to break the bank on an old school striker and move Rooney to the AMF position where his running and creativity can be used and where he can still get a good share of scoring opportunities. Although he is still very young and full of promise, I have soured a bit on Anderson and thus Rooney should inherit the positon Scholesy used to own.
If Fergie doesn’t do that then I think it is necessary to either bench Rooney or Tevez and buy a striker. If they sold Rooney now United would get a mint. I know, I’m speaking blasphemy but somebody needs to. At least I have the balls to speak the unspeakable. Personally I am tired of the box being empty and our strikers spending more time on the byline trying to cross the ball. I want an RVN clone bought this summer. Take the scoring pressure off of Wayne and I think he will be a better and more composed player. If not, sell him. Bottom line is I am loyal to players but I am more loyal to success and continued winning of Manchester United. That requires more goals from Rooney and from forwards in general.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:43
Your out of line Grognard…
I agree with experimenting with Rooney in AMF position, but sell him?
Come on mate! Saha yes, Rooney i think not.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:49
While we are back on the subject of selling players, I say we sell Hargo for 10 million pounds as we did with Veron.. and go and get Lassana Diarra coz that boy can play.
March 9th, 2008 at 5:54
I agree with you 100% grognard, although, I’m not entirely sure that hasn’t already crossed SAF’s mind (sitting Rooney that is). But weighing the pros and cons of that, you would have to assume that the cons are far greater than then pros. First of all, like you said, he adds much more to the team than just goals, and if we sit him, who picks that up? Certainly not Tevez (who has a great work ethic also) but the team responds to rooney even when he’s playing like shite. Secondly, we dont have anyone that can match his limited production this season in the form of goals, and I know that you arent expecting Saha and Welbeck to do that. And finally, he’s a red through and through. This doesnt mean that he should be put above the team, but at least we know that he wont put in a half assed game for us. Even today, with all his struggles and frustrations, he was still all over the pitch. I know some are quick to point the finger at him for missing the man on what turned out to be the tipping point of the match, but how many other strikers do you know of that would back track that far when even the center halves were caught up? Until we get some proper cover at his position, I dont see it happening any other way nor would I want it too. He is, right now, the lesser of two evils and once he regains his confidence (or whatever he’s lacking the moment) he scores way to much to leave off the team sheet.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:10
And selling Hargo would be the biggest mistake (especially for Diarra). First of all, we wouldn’t make enough on the sale to get out of the red on what we paid for him. But most importantly, he really needs to partner someone in the midfield who is very positive. With him being a DMF, I dont expect him to contribute to the attack, but if he can concentrate of taking the ball of oppo midfielders and off loading it to someone who actually looked like they wanted it at their feet, then we wouldnt be complaining. We lose a lot of urgency in our attack when we play Hargo, so lets not compound it with partnering him with someone who doesnt look like he wanted to go forward either. And for the record, this is not a shot a Scholes as Carrick was equally as guilty of this in the early stages of the league. Who could have guessed that this Scholes would have showed up after the game he had at Fulham? But lets not pretend like he has nothing to improve in his game either. He certainly has not been as dominating as the first half when he played.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:28
Grognard:
You ave lost whatever “respect” you had from me, not that you need it. With him in the team we had not lost all season. Yes, he is BAD at the moment. Why is he BAD? He hasn’t scored and his touch is poor. So what? Have some confidence man. It is not the end of the world.
March 9th, 2008 at 6:31