Aug 29
Preview: Man Utd v Zenit St. Petersburg
Today is 07/08 season hangover day. A day where we play a game to prove we are better than a team that didn’t qualify for the Champions’ League. To be honest, I don’t get the point of a Super Cup. It’s not really super, whether we win it or lose it. Playing the UEFA Cup winners could be tricky, but it’s more like a glorified version of the Community Shield — a curtain raiser to the footballing calendar in Europe.
But, I do want us to win this one. The Super Cup doesn’t come every day, so I’d gladly take this, as well as the World Club Championship later this year.
In team news, Fergie said that Hargreaves could start, but also added that he won’t be fit enough to face Andorra for England. I agree with the boss. Playing for England at the moment is pointless. (Before you jump on me, yes, it is personal bias.)
Nani will definitely start and I hope he’ll be hungry as hell. I genuinely hope he comes of age this season. Park Ji-Sung could come off the bench too. So despite the apparent cramping of our schedule, we are getting to see players returning from injury in non-Premier League games.
In terms of formation, Rooney and Tevez should start up front; Nani, Scholes, Anderson, Hargreaves in midfield, Evra, Rio, Vida and Brown in defence. (Or perhaps, Fergie might choose to start Neville too).
The good thing is that we are getting very close to our first team. And today’s team will be the nucleus of the one that will play Liverpool on the 13th. A good performance now would augur well going into the international break, considering the disjointed displays from Liverpool of late.
Zenit will be without Arshavin. But I hear they can still be a handful without their influential playmaker. So there…
I am excited, I hope you are too.
Prediction: 2-0 to United
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What the hell was the Goalkeeper, Defender and Midfield award about anyway? Was this some kind of a joke? Petr Cech for all his past brilliance has never been the same player since his head injury. John Terry? Give me a fuckin’ break. And I don’t understand Lampard getting the best midfield award either.
So someone, kindly explain.
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Yup. No more news on the Berbatov front. Let’s wait for the clock to whittle down. Although if Tottenham continue to be linked with the likes of Miguel Veloso, then I don’t see any point in them holding on to Berba.
Back to today’s game though. Come on you reds!!!
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Manchester United’s 08/09 Champions’ League Opponents
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
- Rooney Out For A Month
Tags: Manchester United News
Craig Mc (195)
RedDevilEddy (170)
Opti (135)
Moscow is my heaven (96)
Ian (95)
@Liam: Agreed with out question, but read Nikos question. He was asking who is better than rooney, and I said Tevez. I never said he was the best in the world.
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@Craig Mc: No, I only meant that I didnt know what is the truth. Is a contract needed or not these days. No-one seems to honour them anymore. Talk about hypocrits! If Ronaldo wants to leave, then sure! Lets make him wish come true and sell him. But when ROBINHO wants to move then is he allowed to be sold. FECKIN NO!
I hate those cunts as much as the Dippers now! Ronaldo must be stupid to wish to play for them. Man, I hope we crush them Roma-style some time this season! 
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Yeah, Im twisted!
Not hard to become after a summer like this!
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These two first pictures on this page are making me happy! A joy to watch!
WARNING! The article is in Norwegian.
“RAFA BENITEZ IS JUST A FAT SPANISH WAITOR!”
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ummm so i guess nobody is coming in this summer
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@Ishaq(South Africa): Still 27 hours left. I think we will wake up witha pleasant surprise tomorrow.
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@RedDevil: lol hope so
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Since there aint any special Manchester United related news at the moment, why dont look back at the past?! We have had so many great strikers in this club: Law, Hughes, Cantona, Van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer, Andy Cole, Yorke, Sheringham… And thats only the names I come up with right now! This club has been great, is great and will continue to be great. Just look at the types of players to have played/still playing for us: Names metioned above, Best, Ronaldo, Schmeicel, Bruce, Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Keane, Charlton, Beckham, Rooney, Barthez, Ferdinand, Tevez…. And most of those are only in the last 20 years time! And, lets not forget Alan Smith, Louis Saha, Forlan, Fortune, Kleberson, Veron, Taibi….
Jokes aside, players will come and go, but United will be forever!
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Chelski draw, L’fool draw, so if we win our game in hand, we will be on 7 points with them – Oh yesssssssssssssssssssssssssss. I would like that Chelski fan who visited us gloating about their opening 4-0 win. He was saying Chelski were playing like we played last season, and that we were playing like Chelsea under Avram Grant last season. O yeah, well their last two games haven’t exactly been covered in glory have they – JERK!. Come on you reds!.
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@Craig Mc: And If we win both our next games, we will over them in the table. I cant wait for the Liverpool game; Gerrard and Torres out, Nani and Park will be back for us. Chelski game; Ballack and Drogba out, unbeaten cunts in 4 years. That record will end sometime, why not against us? And what better time for that to happen when we are without Ronaldo? That will shut peoples pie-holes when saying we cant win without Ronnie! What better place to do it, eh?
The Future Looks Bright!
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Just one thing! Man United would be despicable if they let Berba out of their hands! I mean that player waited day and day for the deal! I mean it seriously would be immoral after showing Berba his dreams! He would truly be unsettled if he does not leave spurs! Hope that doesnt happen!
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@Red Diablo: I agree. But, if we dont get Berba it was he who got himself into that position with Spurs. We havent actually done anything excpet saying we need a striker…. We havent even said we want Berba! Come to think of it, maybe its not Berba were chasing. Maybe he is chasing us? Wierd…
The Future Looks Bright!
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The first thing I want to hear when I wake up tomorrow is someone screaming out: BERBA HAS SIGNED FOR UNITED, BERBA HAS SIGNED FOR UNITED!!! That would be great. Good night everyone.
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so who is going to be camping at bbc tomorrow?
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When I wake up.I wish to hear the hunter has signed for Utd…THE HUNTER HAS SIGNED…good nyt…
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363,365 both will be here tomorrow
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Rafa is on Sky Sports moaning about not being given a penalty. How come every time I see one of his press conferences he is either moaning about the ref or declaring public interest in a player. If fergie behaved like him he would be gutted alive by the PL and the media. Fucking prick!.
I really hope there is a non-Berba type of surprise in the morning. I would like to see a Solskjaer type player who will come on when Roovezonaldo isnt working. I honestly don’t think we need a sulky star player who isnt even worth £20m let alone the £30m that they want. I will lose a bit of faith in Fergie’s transfer tactics in the post Queiroz era
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Liam im hoping that manoucho will be that type of striker for us. honestly I would rather have had him fit for preseason to check his speed and bulk against better competition and had him impress to the point of not needing more. but i dont know if we should take that chance if the funds are availible. Berba isnt my first pic though.
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Will you get off Berba’s back ffs. Nobody more moody than Cantona or Roy Keane, who sulked like feck if things didn’t go there way, but they did their stuff on the field, and so does Berba. I want Berba, even if I am the only one shouting my head off on the terraces for him. I know I won’t be though, because my United mates want him too. He is a great player, and if he doesn’t come to us, but goes to Bayern, then who can blame him. After all the criticism he has got from some United fans, we don’t deserve him. He’s a proven premiership player, he can head the ball better than Rooney, has a better touch than Rooney, and is class. But some of you moaners don’t deserve him playing for you week in week out. Anyway, doesn’t look like we will be getting him now does it.
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i just hope to see berba holding the no.9 jersey next to SAF on manutd.com tomorrow, first thing in the morning..
and btw, inter sign quaresma for 30m euros (source: GOAL)..
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Good morning!
Its the final day of the transfer window, and I am looking forward to it. We might not buy anyone, and we might buy one. Its so exiting! No, serious this is gonna be a boring day if we dont get Berba, Huntelaar, Henry, Larsson or any other top class striker. I want Berba more than any cause he is proven in the Prem, Cl and he wants to play for us. Maybe he is a moody bitch, but he is a hell of a footballer. He has a great first touch, he is deadly and, unlike Rooney, he can head the ball. Hopefuly well get him.
Good start to the day, just read that Real Madrid lost their opening game of the campain to Deportivo last night. SCREW YOU BITCHES!
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@Liam,
I think I agree with you on Nani. Never thought of it that way, but since you mentioned it, it makes a lot os sense. He has Beckham-like crosses (and some Giggs-like dribbling). Before Ronaldo came along, that was exactly what United were looking for. (Ronaldo kinda changed all our perceptions of a winger). I think he can actually become “a David Beckham that can actually play football”.
“Rooney – better than Ronaldo”
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Karl – Rooney better than Ronaldo?. Not that old chestnut again. Football needs goal scorers to WIN things. Rooney is NOWHERE near better than Ronnie in that area, and to be honest, unless he dramatically improves soon, Rooney appears to be going backwards. They were just saying on Talk Sport this morning, that Rooney has an abysmal goal scoring record for England, since he first burst onto the scene. Most in the nation don’t want him playing for England anymore, certainly not as a striker. What I worry about, is hearing Rooney say that people think he should score more goals, but he is happy to let others get the goals. Rooney doesn’t even see himself as a striker anymore, and thinks United need to get Ronnie back quickly. Therefore we need another striker in Rooney’s opinion, and definately in mine. I think we need Berbatov PLUS other!.
As for Nani, do you lot who are saying he should pass like Beckham WATCH the games he plays in?. I will say it again, WATCH United end of season review and Nani, and you will see his excellent balls into the box, and just how many assists and goals he was responsible for.
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@Craig Mc: Some people may not have the end of season review, so I wil make it easier for people to remember. When Rooney was under heavy critique, I made a long post about every game he played and his biggest contributions in those games. Now it looks like Nani is also in the fireing line and I will stand up and protect him from this critiques. WARNING! Long post. Nanis contribution in 2007/08:
Reading- sub for Rooney at half time, shoots just wide from 25 yards.
Pompey- Crosses to Tevez on 28-yard box, Tevez 1 touch and pass to Scholes, Scholes scores.
City- Gets 1-on-1 with Schmeicel, saves shot. Problems with Richards, but makes some chances with good crosses.
Spurs- Scores his first goal for United with a thunderbolt from 25 yards. Matchwinner.
Sunderland- Passes free kick to Scholes on 25 yards, Scholes shoots just wide because of deflection. Corner assist to Saha, Saha matchwinner.
Everton- Corner assist to Vidic, Vidic matchminner.
Sporting- no major contribution, subbed off for Anderson.
Roma- Beats 2 man on left wing then crosses to Rooney who shoots just over the bar from 10 yards. Cross/shot hits the bar in 2nd half. Assist for Rooney who becomes matchwinner.
Villa- Cross that Rooney converts for 1-1, corner scored from Rio to 3-1.
Boro- Scores 1 goal witha thunderbolt from 25 yards, creates chance for Rooney and Ronaldo, neither manages to find the target with those chances.
Dynamo Kiev- 1 assist for Rooney goal, passes to Evra who passes to Ronaldo for 4-0.
Bolton- no impact, bad game.
Sporting- bad game, subbed off at half time.
Roma- 1 assist for Pique header from corner. Creates chances for Rooney and Saha, neither score.
Sunderland- Wins penalty for 4-0.
Birmingham- Hits post, crosses for Tevez who hits crossbar.
Newcastle- substitue, header down to Tevez who make sit 6-0.
Pompey- 1 assist for Ronaldo, passes to Tevez who shoots, James saves rebound form his dangerous shot, almost scores but James gets to the ball first.
Spurs- substitute, Corner assist to Tevez who scores in 94th minute.
City- No impact, bad game(like everyone else excpet for Andy)
Arsenal- 2 assists to Flecther, 1 goal, toys with the Arsenal defense, takes corner that untied make 1-0 from, makes Gallas look like a kindergarden kid, plays keepy-uppy with Traore, Wenger gets furious about his arrogance.
Lyon- substitute, cross for Tevez who equalises.
Newcastle- crosses to Tevez who heads wide, passes to Ronaldo who scores 3-0, crosses to Scholes good save by keeper, takes corner that Rooney scores from.
Fulham- showboats on the left wing, crosses for Scholes and Saha, neither score when 1-on-1.
Pompey- Horror game that United lose, Nani makes lots of chances, 1 for Tevez, 2 for Ronaldo and 1 for Carrick.
Bolton- Tests Al-Habsi reflexes with great free-kick, beat 1 man before he crosses to Saha who gets injured trying to scroe.
Liverpool- substitute, 1 assist from corner to Ronaldo, 1 goal after pass from Rooney.
Blackburn- returns from injury, corner to scholes who heads to Tevez who scores and makes it 1-1.
Chelski- bad game, bad decisionmaking.
Barcelona- Realy good game, heads just outside from Park cross, shoots over on counter attack, toys with Puyol.
West Ham- assist for 1-0 from Ronaldo, gets sent off.
Chelski, final- scores his penalty.
Hope this cleared so things up!
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Any news ..any news ???
we hardly have 10 hours 
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@bond: dude, we have 14 hours left, be patient.
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oh thnks dan ..forgot the timelag
…In India its 14.30 now 
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Seeing as though we’ve paid (probably) over the odds for Berba anyways. I cant help but think we should have just got on with this a month ago and had him ready, bedded in with the team, for the new season. That way, considering the player shortages we had at the beginning and players not being 100%, we might be 6 points from 6 and a UEFA Super Cup in the bag. It all seems a bit retarded, all the cat & mouse games going on, trying to lower the price, trying to make Spurs part with him at all and chasing off any other suiters, then paying the full whack (maybe even more) at the end of the day anyway. It seems much time and the opportunity to make a perfect start to the season has been wasted.
Though maybe it took a sluggish start to the season to convince the powers that be to part with the cash. Still, as a fan, its fustrating.
*shrugs*
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Testing
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