Dec 21
Manchester United Make History As World Champions
Rooney scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute and Van der Sar denied Quito with quality saves to crown Manchester United as World Champions and officially the best club football team in the world (we already were, but it’s nice to have FIFA and UEFA bowing down to us, don’t you think?).
This was a much-improved Manchester United performance and against a spirited Liga de Quito side who gave the European champions a run for their money and were it not for Edwin van der Sar’s brilliant keeping, might have tied or even gone on to win the game.
It was just as sweet to see Arsenal and Liverpool battle to a draw at the Emirates a few hours later. The result now leaves United with two games in hand to Arsenal (a point behind and Liverpool (7 points ahead).
Realistically speaking winning those two games in hand will give United a leg up going up against Liverpool in the reverse Premier League fixture at Old Trafford, and if Chelsea draw or lose at Goodison Park the title race is well and truly open and, dare I say it, there for the taking for the World Champions.
And before I sign off, some food for thought – we are quick to criticise our players when they fail to live up to our impossibly high expectations. At times like these it’s only fair to stand up and salute the professionalism the team has shown through this (to some quite pointless) competition and the way key players (Rooney, Rio and VDS came to mind but the rest did their part as well) stood up and did the job for the club – the same players (Rooney and VDS especially) who have gotten much stick for their less than stellar performances this season.
Bring on Stoke and Boro, and hopefully the WORLD CHAMPIONS can turn it around in the league and take the title third year in a row.
Note: You can read the full match report by the excellent Tom Clark, or follow the discussion in the match thread.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Manchester United vs. Barcelona: Champions League Final Live Blog
- Who the f*** are Man United?
- Will United Meet Great Expectations?
- Hargreaves’ Injury History Is Shocking
- Thursday links and some pre-almost-weekend mumbling
Tags: Match Reports
Opti (541)
Stephen (479)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
grognard, i didnt know adler was a lifelong united fan, well just more reason to buy him then. What a talent he looks, i dunno about you but he has impressed me so much i think he could have the potential to be as good as schmeichel but thats just my opinion by the way. Only problem is it seems fergie hates buying german players so we probably have no chance of getting him but i do think first we should give foster a chance, preferably soon so we get an idea of if hes good enough.
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@Matthew: dont get grognard started, really
Fergie doesnt hate germans, he was ready to buy that cunt ballack, and turned us down for FA united FC, we where ready to buy lahm, then he ruled himself out off the move. Hargo is the only player we bought from the bundesliga successfully, barely. Germans dont go to united for some reason, and that must put saf off buying german talent. Seriously, people accuse him of not buying germans, when its germans thinkng they are too good for united!
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@Matthew: if thats true then good on him, a £7million signing and you offer him 3k a week? pathetic that is. i wouldnt take it at all, and if he doesnt come to us, i surely will not dislike him, ill respect him much more if he didnt.
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ok dan, its just there has to be a reason why in fergies long 20+ years here he has never bought a german and only 1 italian (rossi). Italy and Germany are 2 of the best european teams ever so i was just wondering why in all this time we never bought one. Especially for me being half italian i would love to see more italians at the club not just the reserves but actually getting 1st team games.
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@Matthew: how many italians play in the PL? 1, a fat third rate left back playing for the scum! fact is, Italians generally stay in italy because they think they’re to good for anywhere else. rossi was born and raised american, thats why it was easier for us to get him.
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@Matthew: i do have high hopes for macheda, but the second a big italian club comes knocking, hes gone.
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@dan(u-ol): Honestly Dan where do you get your information? Tosic has an agent who follows the players orders and demands. further more Benzema came out last week and said that Chelsea was not an option for him because he was determined to play for Real Madrid. Stop protecting these primadonas just because you would like to see them in United red. They are not United players and seriously doubt whether Benzema will ever be. As for Tosic, his dream has always to play for an Italian team. Not what we need to hear from a player we are trying to sign.
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@Matthew: You take what they offer you and you prove to them that you deserve more a year or two later. What is Tosic? A Serbian nobody with no pedigree or background playing for a great team. He has a lot of nerve confronting the biggest team in the world and telling them he wants more. Take the offer mate or shove it is what I’d tell him. There are many more just like him out there who would jump at the opportunity. Alex Sanchez is just one that I feel is just as good if not better who would love to play for us and has made that need public knowledge.
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@Matthew: Adler is a great keeper but he is still young and capable of a few boners here and there. He let in a bad goal against England but if one watches him as much as I do, you realize just how good he is and what the future holds with his continued development and improvement. I still prefer Manuel Neuer of Schalke or even Artur Boruc of Celtic who is as good a shot stopper as I have ever seen, but also prone to the odd gaff or two. All of these keepers are world class and capable of great things in front of an already great defense. I think Fergie is going to the well once too many times by wanting to sign EVDS for yet another season. He has been stellar for us but it’s time to think about the future and sign up a great keeper before the other teams sign these boys.
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@dan(u-ol): What a load of rubbish. Honestly, where do you get this stuff, Ricky Gervais? You named two German players who decided Manchester was no their first choice. What about the hundreds of others over the past twenty years that were more than good enough or better than the players Fergie eventually settled on. You better believe he has a bias to Germans because his track record fully indicates that. Selecting two superstars who happened to select two other big teams to play for isn’t exactly a hardy endorsement and defense for Fergie’s anti German attitude. Frankly one has to be a proven world star from Germany to be considered. What about those players when they were just making a name for themselves like Ronaldo, Evra, Rooney, Vidic, Rio, Ole, Yorke, Cole and other were? Why not sign up great German prospects like Marin, Alder or Kroos before they become so big that it will take them too much to buy them and when they will be competing with Europe’s other big clubs for their services? Sorry but your case for Fergie’s defense falls flat due to the lack of tangible evidence. He’s a biased bigot who hates German players and that mate is the bottom line.
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@Grognard: you start you comment with “where do you get your info from” then end it with “tosics dream has always to play for an Italian team”
So grognard where do YOU get your info from?
Agent create transfer rumours with or without the clients knoledge. they are ONLY in it to get as much money for themselves as possible.
You tell me why tosic, a £7million pound signing, should accept £3k a week? yea its united, but he still has to make a living, it is still a JOB in which you get payeed for. £3k is the wage that the creme de la creme of league one are earning. If you where offered a chance to join united, for £7million, but was earning less then o’shea, fletcher, park, PIG etc wouldnt you want more? wouldnt you want to feel appreciated?
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@Matthew: Rossi for me does not count as an Italian. He is American born from Italian parents. He may play for Italy but for me he is like Hargreaves. Hargo is and always will be nothing more than a transplanted Canadian. For me birthplace determines one’s nationality, not what his parents were or wish. Fergie has had a few Italians in the past. For me the most infamous was the keeper Taibi which in his one game for us allowed a classic clunker of a goal. Above all, he has adopted an Italian style of play which is the worst thing he has ever done to the team and to his supporters. And what we are seeing this season is the results from that Italian influence on our play. Defensive minded cowardice. I love Italy and their history, food and culture but as far as football is concerned, their game is living embodiment of the anti-christ.
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@dan(u-ol): When United expressed interest in signing Luca Toni, he still chose Bayern Munich instead of playing in England. But you are right, Italians generally think their league and football is superior but that is changing. More and more players are going to Spain, Germany and England. Zola, Canaavaro and others are paving the way due to the increasingly poorer quality of play in Italy and the corruption and fanatical abuse and threats players receive over there.
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@dan(u-ol): I read an article in one of the online English papers two weeks ago. Honestly, I cannot remember which but I think it was the Guardian. Dan I don’t make things up to service my case. I don’t need to. So don’t insinuate that I am liar please. On the other hand I feel I made my point regarding your defense of Fergie by using Lahm and Ballack. Not enough ammunition I’m afraid to beat the Grognard today, because what I brought up has a lot of validity and asks the big question of the Boss.
And spare me about the whole Tosic affair. I doubt very seriously that any of the numbers being discussed are the truth because United would never allow for that kind of stuff or any of their player negotiations to be revealed to the public. That’s all media bullshit and you know it too. Tosic is just a spoilt brat who has delusions of grandeur and who also knows his stock just rose big time in all of European football, just because United tried to sign him. So his agent and him decide they want to play games. He’s not Tosic, he’s a tosser.
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@Matthew: *Sigh* another player pulling the I’m a fan of xxx club and its been a life-long dream of mine, its so overused now I don’t even take them seriously anymore.
@Grognard: Actually If there’s something I’ve noticed with Fergie, its that he doesn’t start taking a player really serious until the said player has played vs. United and then impressed him. And on Fergie having an ego, who can blame him? I don’t wanna sound cocky but we ARE MANCHESTER UNITED and history and successes should be enough to sway footballers. It doesn’t mean it will, but it should so I can’t blame Fergie for thinking that way.
@Craig Mc: Yes of course when any of the foreign players are going through a patch of bad form, its always the fault of evil Fergie and his hatred for the younger players and love for the older ones
This season Nani hasn’t given Fergie any reason to play him regularly, so I don’t see why he should start cus you seem to have some kinda love-in for the Portugese players in the squad. Plus I don’t get the part about the strikers, they were all in Japan too, so how are they not excused?? So now I see the older players are numptees too…typical.
@Fred The Red: IIRC correctly, the young players played vs. Derby County last season which in my imo was this seasons version of Stoke City, how come the energized young players didn’t add anything to the team and we came out with exactly the same scoreline?? Except it was an even worse performance and the players had not traveled anywhere before the game?
@Fred The Red: What is your definition of starter, how many games has he gotten this season and do you think he’ll get more than 35 games max this season, so how does that qualify him as a starter??? Carrick probably wouldn’t be a starter at Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool either, does that mean he’s not United quality too?
@Fred The Red: Then congrats to Fergie on 20 decades of pure luck, since he’s been picking shite teams for the past 20 years, the other teams we’ve been competing against for trophies must have been really bad or we’ve just been really lucky.
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@dan(u-ol): Feel appreciated? For what, for crying out loud? He hasn’t done fuck all for us yet. Wait until he plays a season and accomplishes something before he starts making demands. Right now he should be acting more like the kid Munoz in the movie Goal and be willing to sign on for peanuts just to get the chance to play for a great club. He’s a Greedy little prick who simply has no right to be so demanding. He should take what is offered graciously and shut up.
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@dan(u-ol): How do we know thats what United REALLY offered him besides what we read in the press??? I have no idea (just like you don’t) what United were offering him but considering he’s a risk buy, what do we know of him besides youtube vids and a few highlights that some have seen?? I don’t believe United offered that low, it might just be his agent angling for a better offer.
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@Rd: He has signed many a player that he never coached against. Much is made about that because of Ronaldo but that’s not the truth at all. He has a very large scouting operation that is paid a lot of money to scour the planet. His problem is that quite often he will judge a player on one game he watches live or on tv, and that’s not an accurate assessment. I wonder why he has never gone after Arshavin after seeing him destroy Ranger live and watching him play well in the Euros. I can’t say he hates Russians because he did have Kanchelski at one time. I am far from figuring him out.
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Here is my post from yesterday that keeps on getting moderated. I took the advice and removed the smileys to see if that might make it show up for all. If any of you already have seen it on your computers, my apologies.
Nobody on this site has had the ability in the past to shut me up but today Fergie and United did you all a big favor for the near future. They left me almost speechless. What more can I say? What’s the point? This team managed by a stubborn as Hell old codger who sees nothing wrong with what he has been serving up, just continues to play like shit and he continues to make moves or not make moves that perplex and befuddle us.
Sure we can chalk this one up to jet lag but I for one will give three main reasons why we barely escaped with a 1-0 win at Stroke Shitty.
1. Once again we went up against the ten man wall for most of the game. When that happens, just forget about watching a football match. Do you think I was going to wake up at 4:30am to watch what I was certain was going to be a 1-0 trench war classic? Not on your life. Thank God for DVD recorders. Shame however that I have wasted yet another dvd this year recording a Manchester United game. I mean what’s the point?
2. Jet lag. As if we didn’t know that wasn’t going to affect the team for a while. Even without it, the result probably was going to be the same anyway.
3. FERGIE. A manager who not only has no clue as to what to do to get this team playing better and how to tactically beat these opponents who set up walls in front of goal and do nothing but defend for 90 minutes. Old fart without a clue and a staff of total yes men who are also clueless monkeys who have come along for that dull carriage ride in the country. And to add insult to injury, he continues to play undeserving players and sits Anderson down because frankly, he’s too good at this moment to be starting for us. And if that wasn’t enough, on Christmas Eve he gave all United supporters the greatest of Christmas gifts when he let us all know in his abrupt and I don’t give a fuck what you think way that there would be no new signings during the January transfer window. And lets face it folks, it’s not like this team needs any new blood now does it? Why we just have such incredible depth and diversity on our team that every game we can mix and match and always come out 3-0 winners.
Frankly I just don’t care anymore. This season has been a bore and a beast of burden from the get go. I have not been so depressed and put off by the game as I have been this season. It all started with Spain spoiling my 2007/08 by defeating Germany and then it continued with the Ronaldo/Real affair and the constant lingering and delays signing Berbatov. Once the 08/09 season started I had a bad feeling in the back of my mind that our team was going to have problems. I stated before the season that Scholes, Neville and Giggs could no longer start and that Fergie needed to add not just on player but two or three to really give this team an edge and some offensive options in the midfield. It was obvious to me, a supporter what was going to happen and to be completely honest, the team has exceeded my expectations when it comes to futility. Actually they are in better shape in the league than I expected by now, but I don’t give them credit for that as much as I give Liverpool and Chelsea many thanks for also playing like shite and not making the most of their lead and showing the killer instinct to pull away more when they had their chances.
We are very fortunate to have those underachievers ahead of us because we have been total shite all season and are still within striking distance. But honestly people, can we be expected to win the title this year when we can’t score more goals than one per game against fucking crap opposition? Is it really possible. Rooney is inconsistent as Hell, Ronaldo is a shadow of his former self, Berbatov is not Berba, Tevez has struggled all year to find form and playing time, and our midfield is as useless and unimaginative as one could possibly imagine in their worst nightmare. And all this in the most unattractive and depressingly boring football league on the planet.
Frankly speaking, the only other reason we are still in the title race is due to our great defensive back three (Neville does not count), consistent if not spectacular keeping by EVDS and the emergence of Rafael which has kept that back four playing well. Without our defense, we would seriously be in a world of shite. This club has fractures in several places and a manager who is to blind or to stubborn to realize it, and even more stubborn to do something about it. Not one tirade, not any exhibition of anger or frustration. It’s like he doesn’t care anymore or he’s just going through the motions. And then he treats us all like muppets by telling us through the media that we are in store for more of the same in the second half because he does not see anything wrong with our side and that no additions are needed. Is that him talking or the Glazer’s? Have the owners stolen Fergie’s mojo? How can we expect passion from the club when it’s clear the manager has none? So I ask you, why are we all such gluttons for punishment? Why do we continue to attend or tune in to these games week after week after week knowing full well that the club is not playing well and that nothing is being done to improve our stock? I for one am sick and fucking tired of wasting my time on unattractive, uninspired and unimaginative football by a team that has spoilt me over the past two decades by playing attractive, inspired and imaginative football?
I am fed up and I am seriously doubting whether I will tune into any more United games live. Why should I sit and put myself through two hours of the same old drudgery week after week after week? I may not be working right now due to my health but my health certainly does not need the stress and added disappointment I get from 2 to 4 hours of weekly boredom, and frustration which has got me all depressed and pissed off. Frankly speaking, as a die hard fanatic, it’s not healthy. So until this team shows a consistent and positive form I will record the games and watch only if the team scores goals. Goals make the world go round and they are the reason why I love the game and why United has been my team for 30+ years.
If United want to bore me and inject Italian style bullshit into my blood stream while also showing little imagination, style or creative depth in finding away through a ten man wall, then I for one need a break from them. Frankly, it’s not worth my time or effort to watch this team in this kind of form. Some may say I am not a loyal fan or that I am only a fair weather fan but I respond to those claims by saying that I am just being a self preservationist. I don’t need this shit to make my days and weeks miserable. United are no longer the bright moment in my week. They have turned into a descending black cloud of boredom and negativity and frankly, I already have enough of that kind of crap in my life. I don’t need to overdose on it.
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@Rd: Excellent point Rd.
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@Grognard: The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are always going to be periods in every sports team where they are low on form and you just have to live with it. Look at the NBA, a team can go on a four game winning streak one week and lose all the next weeks games. Look at Bayern Munich, they were rubbish 2 years ago and now it looks like they will win their 2nd league in a row. Barcelona finished something like 9th in La Liga a few years ago. Just be happy that when United have slumps they can keep themselves near the top
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@Liam: No, I look at Bayern Munich who have dominated the Bundesliga for over 30 years and who when they had a down year, completely gutted the team and bought a half dozen new players who have once again brought them to a dominant position where they not only challenge in Germany but in Europe.
On the other hand I see a United team that is living in the past and standing pat despite the glaring weaknesses and aging player that are bringing it down. It’s really not about being in a slump or losing. Really, they are in perfect position to make a run for the league but it’s their lack of energy, and positive play and ideas that need to improve. And what is being done to address our needs? NOTHING! Fergie is his arrogant stubborn wisdom feels that nothing is broken and that the team is in fine shape. I guess the millions of supporters who loyally follow this team and who feel concerned over it’s lethargic and uninspiring play are just a pack of idiots. We are being lied to and made to look like fools due to our team’s inability to fix problems due to the lack of funds being made available to the Boss. Clearly he has no money to go out and buy and thus he comes out and lies to us by telling us that he is not interested in looking for players in the January transfer period.
Football is not rocket science. Fergie might know a lot more than us but he can’t fool us either by denying that the team is not in need of an injection of new blood and a change in strategy and tactics. I honestly wouldn’t mind if the team struggled more to win this year but was playing attractive, attacking football and was positively breaking in new players who would once again bring the team up to prominence in a year or two. We are so spoilt on trophies that we need a year every five or six where we rebuild a bit. Instead the team seems stuck in Purgatory with no clue how to get out. If we have to count on our team to win every game they play by 1-0, we have serious problems ahead. It’s not the slumping that bothers me, it’s the lack of doing anything about it that drives me nuts. We need a definite change in approach and dare I say, in leadership.
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@Grognard: I dont think the league is boring..I watched Arsenal vs Liverpool,Man city vs hull city,Wigan vs Newcastle…they were the games we expect out of the best league..quality movement,inter play and end to end games…
Either United is boring or other teams are resorted to boring tactics against United and our manager doesnt seem to be bothered as long as he gets points (1 or 3)..
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Grognard, agree with your comment 411 completely 100%. I can see this season going pear shaped and when a team goes from being world beaters to average in a year you have gotta look at the squad and see that there is something wrong with it. This is usually in the form of a player clear out. I can see this season being a particularly bad one for us, maybe winning the carling cup and thats all. In this event obviously going from premiership and euro champs to that would have to mean there would have to be considerable changes. However would there be, no i doubt it. As i have said countless times us at the minute remind me of barca of last season. They had a player in ronaldinho who was great but won all he had to win and just stopped trying. Now that to me sounds like a certain portugese player that we have at the minute. The only difference was that after 2 season of barca getting worse, they made a clear out. Look at them now, almost certainly spanish league champs, favourites for the champs league. After winning the cup in may fergie said he wouldnt make the mistake of 99 and keep the squad unchanged, but he did do that and just added 1 player in berbatov. He didnt sell the players who obviously arent good enough either. Neville was never gonna come back to his previous high standards, giggs form had dipped all last year, only scholes of the oldies should have continued. Park was dropped for the final but now he is suddenly good enough for 1st team every week. Fletcher and oshea are loyal no denying it but their ability is limited. Would they get in the 1st team of the other top 4 or even villa and everton? We added so little to our squad that even tho we knew ronaldo was out for weeks we were happy to play fletcher as his replacemnt. Come on we should have brought in 3 or 4 new players instead of playing garbage like him. And as for phelan, well what a crap assistant he is. People say cantona, solskjaer for next manager, well we should have given them a chance as assistants and see how they did. People on here couldnt do a worse job than phelan. So no im not surprised of our poor form this season, and whilst yes we are still in the title race points wise, our performances have been garbage all season and its just a matter of time until we are out of it. Sorry for all the negativity in this post but i think too many people are sugar coating the problems with us. I am not at all confident any game we play now, i expect a 1-0 bore game with boro if im honest. Goodnight all.
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@Matthew: Heheheheheh..mate are you sure you’re not Grognard’s long-lost biological sperm donor son or something? ‘Coz skim-reading that…I assumed it was him until I saw your name at the top instead of his lol.
Tell me which team in the modern era has won a League-CL Double or Treble and gone on to equal or better that achievement in the following season?????? I have said this before, and I’ll say it again, but I think certain United fans are too accustomed to success that they are out of touch with reality and expect Doubles and Trebles every season, which is fackin ridiculous in my opinion!!
I had a very strong feeling last summer that we would struggle to replicate the dizzy heights of last year, no matter what we did in the summer, and consequently I am not surprised at all how our season is panning out so far. I would be immensely happy if we just about managed to retain the PL, but win nothing else this season, or finish 2nd and win one of the the FA/Carling Cups or even both.
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High expectations reduce joy
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@Matthew: You do make a good point of blooding a Cantona or a Solskjaer as SAF’s assistant. Anybody but Phelan in my opinion. Of course, the greatest (purely hypothetical of course!) managerial double act of all time would be SAF with Arsene Wenger as his No.2!! Shiiiiiit – our team would be pretty much unstoppable if that ever happened!!!!
Not sure I agree about the fringe players…the likes of Fletcher, O’Shea and Park know they are not good enough to start every week, but they patiently wait on the wings and play their part dutifully when required. They were just as vital to our success last year as the likes of Ronaldo and Tevez, so I would not condone their sale at all.
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There’s a large Carlos Querioz shaped hole in the fabric of Manchester United FC this season. It’s no coincidence that we have won, at the very least, a Premier League title in practically every season he’s been at Manchester United – his spiritual home. Nuff said!!
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@Grognard: Glad to finally see a comment that makes me think.
I have a question for you? Will you rather play brilliant football and draw, or play hard, ugly football and win? We cannot do both all the time, especially when we face teams like Stoke, Sunderland and Spurs. They have no quality in their ranks, and they know that the only way they can have even a slight chance of getting a result is battling us with raw strenght and stubborness. The problems are there to be solved. Im gonna put up some points to what can help us.
1. MIDFIELD: You say we do not have any creativity in our midfield. We do. But unfortunately we only have 1. No, its not Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher or Giggs, it is the young brasilliand kid thats kalled Anderson.
He can play those throuch passes that you crave, he can run and attack like a warrior needs to and he has the power and energy to tussle for the ball with Essien, Mascherano and even the really worthless Reo-Coaker. He has shown in the games this season, not only against Blackburn, but against LDQ, Sunderland, Aalborg, Arsenal and Boro that he can pick and play the pass that can make the difference in the end. Rooney is a master of timing runs, and if he could finish like a striker needs to then Andy to Rooney= Goal! Anderson is a must in games, but Fergie think s it times to “neuture him” into the side. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT!!! What happend to “If you are good enough you are pld enough”? Or is that just bullshit?! Anderson is what this team need to be a succes and anyone that disagrees with me dont even have to bother. My opinon will never change!
2. Ronaldo: I know, he is a big worry this season. Kicks out on a defender every game, loses his head and I havent seen him score in a looooooooong while(I didnt watch the Osaka game). What has happend to him? Even in the games where he suffered from being bullied, he came up with the goods! Liverpool, Arsenal, Birmingham, Roma to name a few. He just doesnt have the same quality anymore! But why? His injury? Flirt with Real? Ballon DoR? Berbatov!? Many possibilities, but he should manage to pick himself up. I dont care if he is depressed, happy or suicidal, I just want him to play well and score goals and get assists and win games for us. Is that too much to ask for? lol(cant use smilies)
3. Fergie: He has done miracles. And he still does. But I am afraid his feelings for the old guard will ruin this team. I mean, Neville over Rafael? Scholes over Anderson? Giggs over… Well, we dont buy a new LM. And Oshea, Park and Manucho? I dont like to question Fergies decisions, but What the Fuck are those 3 players doing in Manchester United. Our cover at LM is Park. Not Nani, but Park. Arsenal have Walcott, Chelski Malouda, Shitty Petrov and even Liverpool have Babel. We have Park. PARK!!! I just wanna scream! Its embarrasing! Screw Park, put him and his short stumps in a boc an ship him to neverland(AKA Liverpool). We have a brilliant defense, brilliant midfield(qhwn chosen the right players), a brilliant keeper and the best strikers in the land. How come we suck so bad then. Simple. We dont play on our strenghts! What is Nanis strenght? Crossing. Anderson? Throuch passes and real energy. Ronaldo? Scoring goals and dribbling defenders mad. Rooney? Timing runs. Berba? Positioning. And last, but not least Evra? He is the complete LWB, but he has been incredibly defensive these last weeks. Either its because of Rafael, Park or Nani I dunno, but if we are to play entertaining football and win game by 2/3-0, we need to do what I said. Play on the teams strenght…
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@Grognard: Just scrolling back to see the posts of the last couple of days I have been away from this blog…I would love to see Artur Boruc at United mate! Fucking class goalie! Rene Adler or Igor Akinfeev would also be most welcome between the sticks at United too.
There’s plenty of good goalies closer to home too, playing in the lower echelons of the PL. The likes of James, Friedel, Jaaskelainen, Schwarzer (made an awesome reflex save against Spurs the other day)..I’m not suggesting that we sign any of them as a replacement for EVDS, but they are all certainly good enough to play for the Big4.
ALL goalkeepers make mistakes; there’s no such thing as a perfect goalie.
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@Nino: Couldnt agree more. And I would like to add something to that: Low expectations increase happiness.
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@Nino: James has not been the goalie he had been the last seasons this year. Like Ronaldo, something seems to be wrong with him. Friedel is a keeper of a team in the top 4, Astone Villa. They are better than Arsenal thats for sure. Villa to end in CL spot in may? I hope so(but only if its not at our expence
).
Neuer, Akinfeev, Boruc and Ricardo. All brilliant keepers that I would be happy to se as replacements for VDS when he retires.
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@Shyam: United are boring MAJORLY so this season mate. Can’t keep blaming other teams tactics, like a lot of people do.
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@Shyam: A needle in a haystack of dull, uneventful boring matches. Sorry but you’re not convincing me based on one game. Every week there is one or two good games. But there are also 8 or 9 terrible ones. Far to many to call the league entertaining. And results don’t make a game good. For example, if West Brom was to beat Arsenal 1-0, that may seem like great upset entertainment but to me, it’s just a boring 1-0 game. The more we tolerate this garbage, the worse it’s going to get. Managers don’t care about entertaining or pleasing fans. They care about saving their jobs. Which makes me wonder why they took on that career in the first place if all that would concern and consume them every day would be survival.
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@Nino: None of us expect doubles and trebles every season, but htat should not exclude us from trying to achieve those goals. One thing we should be trying for is the EPL championship every season. If you don’t have large goals in front of you, you are prone to fail.
And there is nothing wrong with another individual echoing my feelings about things because frankly mate, I’m not wrong. You may think I am and that’s fine, but I know and a lot out there reading this agree with me 100%, whether they want to admit it or not.
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Happy belated Christmas to All
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@Matthew: Very well put and very accurate, especially your comments on bringing in 3 or 4 players to add new blood and push some of the lazy fat cats. Ronaldo is starting to look a lot like Ronaldinho. I have defended him all season claiming, lack of fitness, injuries and being hacked at every turn. And all those might be valid reasons for his fall in form but I have to say for the first tie that I am questioning my loyalty and wondering if Ronny is truly happy and content playing with us? He’s not even half the player he was last year. Part of it has to be the injuries, the part has to be the way teams are marking him and fouling him but I also think the style of play is hurting his creativity. Rather than play the fast break run and gun style that we used in many games last year and most famously against Roma two years ago, we now play a slow, plodding build up that waits for the opposition to set ten men behind the ball and give Ronny no room or ability to begin a break or run with pace. Frankly speaking, the only player I could trust to find a way through all that would be Riquelme with one of his great through balls or finesse lobs passes on to a running Rooney or Tevez.
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@Grognard: Personally, I blame Mourinho. He brought that dour, cynical, over-funded and (awfully) successful style to the premiership. It seemed to change everything. While I think the quality at United has grown considerably in the past 6 years, the spirit and mentality has become conservative, cautious. Boring. I miss Keane.
I also think that no small part of this also lies at the feet of Ronaldo – because he is prodigiously talented and can pull a result out of nothing; because he is a sulky fuck, and a terrible sportsman – I feel he makes those around him worse, not better. Goes for Portugal as well. His progress will be limited by his ability to glory in the success of his team and his mates. Think of real heroes in other sports (Gretzky being the greatest example, Jordan another). If he can’t mature in this sense, then I think that Ronaldo needs to be sold and the team re-built without its best player.
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@Nino: Lowered expectations reduces one’s chances of finding a beautiful girl. One should never have lowered expectations. Might as well marry the neighbors fat and ugly daughter if that’s going to be our attitude in life. I have an old saying that I tried to live by until I hurt my back. Shoot for the stars because if you shoot for something far enough away, you might reach the moon. Too many shoot for the sky only, and where does that leave you? On the second floor of your house.
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@Rd: What are you a psychiatrist now?. I never mentioned anything about the older players being numptees, but of course you second guess everything don’t you mate?. As to the portuguese love in – did you ever hear me raving about Andie – I don’t think so. Ronnie yes, and even you cannot say that he was not our best player last season and season before, and would be this season if opposition defendents didn’t hack him down all the feckin time. Nani has regressed, and it does have a lot to do with the playing time players get. Players find their form by playing regularly, as we have found with most of our players this season. Personally, I have said, and continue to say that Nani would find his form much quicker away from Old Trafford, and I hope he understands this and moves to sunnier climates. Also, I think Ronnie should go with him too, for one reason, gifted footballers cannot play to entertain in the PL anymore, with THUG oppo defenders, and referees who do not give protection. I hope the whole portuguese contingent leave OT, because they are little appreciated now, judging by fans comments on this and other blogs. You might be a lot happier then Rd
.
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@Nino: Truthfully, I think Solksjaer is being prepped to take over for Phelan. I think you might even see him as Fergie’s #1 next season. He just needed a season managing the reserves to get his feet before Fergie called on him for more.
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@phoenix red: Hey Phoenix mi man – yeah, and happy new year coming up mate
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@Grognard: Never said we should not be attempting to win all trophies in sight, as a team of our stature should be doing so, but failure to do so is NOT the be-all and end-all! I would happily go through a trophyless transition season this year if it meant that we returned to our imperious best the following year! We don’t have a divine right to win trophies…(even though it seems like it with the silverware coming in every year!)
You and Matthew do have some good points, notably that we do look lifeless and devoid of ideas and inventiveness this season. I do agree with that we could definitely do with an injection of new blood in January, possibly in central midfield and on the left wing (Tosic go fock off!). I do disagree, however, with the unrealistic expectation that fans have of repeating or bettering what we did last season. It just won’t happen…. as last year was a one-off because all the stars and planets and cosmos were aligned perfectly for us and Ronaldo had the greatest individual season in the modern era of football.
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@Grognard: In my case, lowered expectations increased my chances! I met a truly special girl when I was least expecting it three years ago! Still going strong!
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@Nino: The post that I plan on submitting for the upcoming writers competition tackles the question as to what the real problem is this year. I have said all along that the problem is not just United and Fergie, it’s the League and the attitude that’s prevelant right now in the European game. Look at Liverpool and Chelsea in front of us and Villa and Arsenal behind us. None of them look as good or as unbeatable as one would expect. In fact both Chelsea and Liverpool have looked as anemic as us. Take a way their two games in hand and we are no better or no worse than them. What’s that say about the quality of the league when the big four look average and ordinary? It tells me that the bottom feeders are like the Borg from Star Trek fame. They have taken the big four’s shots and now they have adapted to that kind of attack and have figured out a plan that neutralizes even the best of teams. What a great advertisement for the game of football. Instead of trying to figure out a few ways to get more chances to score, teams are developing defensive walls to basically destroy a game completely. So how long will that be tolerated by the league? The NHL put up with the neutral zone trap which destroyed hockey for ten years before they changed rules to try to eliminate it or at least limit it’s effectiveness. The NFL always adapts rules to protect the star players and to allow for more offense. And baseball, well they will allow cheaters and the use of steroids, corked bats and balls to further enhance run production because scoring is what gets asses in the seats. When will football realize that goals are what get asses in the seats, not 0-0 battles of attrition.
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@Grognard: Grog Bro, Ronnie would have to be crazy to want to stay at United much longer. Many fans haven’t got much love for him now, he is either three man marked or hacked down mercilessly (FROM BEHIND IN MOST CASES), and utterly vilified from the terraces everywhere he goes in England. I am not joking when I say that opposition fans are baying like wolves to see him maimed by one of their players – and truly I am not exagerrating Grog. United fans little support him either from the terraces as they used too, so he probably feels – feck this, what’s the point anymore. He was FORCED to stay in the first place – lets face it, he wanted to go to Real Madrid. Now Fwrgie has vilified Real Madrid so much with his comments (though in some cases justifiably so), that Ronnie’s chances of going there now are RUINED. I cannot see him being happy about that, so yes, he probably is both disappointed and disatisfied.
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@RedDevilEddy: It’s an often used cliche but truthfully, winning isn’t everything. A famous baseball manager Leo Durocher once made the claim that “winning wasn’t everything, it was the only thing”. Well truly, I don’t buy into that. Yes a win is important but at what cost? A 3-3 tie is a great game to watch and very tense and exciting. A 1-0 game may have tension but the lack of chances and boredom created by 90 minutes of this crap, is not good for the overall game.
Wait for my big article in the writing competition when I rock a lot of people’s worlds. I have so much I may have to submit one part and offer the second part later on.
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@Grognard: Maybe the FA/PL should change their points system, that you only get points for SCORE draws, and nothing for no score draws – that would really put the cat among the pigeons. Opposing teams would have to come out then and try and score, or finish up empty handed
.
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@RedDevilEddy: I feel your frustration and pain mate. I agree with you about Anderson even if I am only 75% sold on him. The rest of the midfield is very mediocre to me. Park? Well you already said what I would say but with fewer four letter expletives.
The old guard is holding this team back big time. But what is holding the team up more is that we have very little quality to replace the old guard.
Anderson and Rafael are ready but few others are good enough or ready enough to replace what Scholes and Giggs gave us in their prime. We need to buy players and Fergie does not get that. Therefore, I don’t get Fergie.
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@Nino: Good for you Nino, glad you found a good woman, and it sounds like your relationship is solid
.
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