Nov 25
Reds Fall Off the Pace as Bolton Grab Win
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So that’s what happened: A loss to a club placed at the bottom rung of the table. No doubt, the warning signals were there; they have been unbeaten under Gary Megson and even managed a draw against Bayern Munich. This was a local northwest derby and passions would run high. An away game it was and it came immediately after the international break.
So was that enough excuse to lose? Well, not really.
Leaving aside the part where one would say losing is completely unacceptable to a club of United’s stature we must be aware that the club we were playing against had a pretty poor record against us. Last year, in a display of some breathtaking football, we overran the same team 4-0. And they were a decent team then.
Let’s get down to see what really went wrong.
The team selection would have undoubtedly been the first thing I would have attacked had it not been for this admission by Fergie that he had to rest Ronaldo, who had been out with injury. But we were also missing another key component in our side — a certain Nemanja Vidic.
I expected Sir Alex to shift Brown to central defence, alongside Rio, and have Pique play at right back. It was an away game against a very physical side. So that made sense to me. It was the Spaniard’s gaffe, in misjudging Campo’s free kick, that resulted in a goal. It was a real cheap goal conceded, to be honest.
But that aside, there was very little to fault the young defender for. Fergie’s bravery and faith in him must be applauded. Had we won this game we would all be applauding his courage to drop Pique in the deep end. So all credit where it is due.
However this wasn’t the first time this season that we were behind so early; Aston Villa were hammered, away from home, after Agbonlahor’s early opener. We’ve shown enough flair and ability to bounce back and all that came from a sense of urgency that characterized all our comebacks.
Sad to say, but our first half was listless and we created very little to even trouble the Trotters, who were happy to kick lumps out of our players.
I would have to say it at this juncture, I have been defending Carrick for a long while now but I can tell a bad performance when I see one, and today was one such day. SAF had said, not so long ago, that if it was a crucial game he would have played Anderson. Now I wouldn’t question why Carrick was preferred over Anderson. After all, Carrick was a big investment, had a great season last time round and was finally fit, with a good two-week break to boot. Anderson did his job perfectly well in the interim period when Carrick was out and I certainly expected SAF to field Carrick at some point of time instead of Anderson. So today was the day he decided to play Carrick.
What SAF would have expected was a performance to merit his continued selection and sadly he looked far too rusty to impress the manager. It’s not the mistakes that he makes. No, it’s far from that. He retains the ball and all that. But in a team shorn of Ronaldo and Rooney, there needs to be more impetus and urgency in the team from the middle. And that was sorely lacking.
It was little wonder that Anderson’s introduction, and hence Hargreaves’ switch to right back, saw our most dominant spell in the game. We dominated the last 20 minutes but created very little. It is to Bolton’s credit that they did manage to hang on for a win. A draw would have been a fair result, but not more to be honest.
Moving further forward to the attack, Saha was shocking. It seemed as though he didn’t want the ball. He seems a shadow of the player that we know of. He seems far too worried about nicking a bone than lunging into a tackle. Giggs was average. I wouldn’t say poor because most of the team was poor. But the player who was the most disappointing was Nani. He must learn to retain the ball first. The tricks are fine, but he would do better if he could learn a thing or two from Ronaldo, on how frustrating he was when he first came on to the scene.
Tevez ran his socks off, but — and pardon me for this — HOW THE FUCK DID HE MISS THAT GOAL?! Bloody ridiculous. It reminded me of that horrible day at Citeh when he missed a gilt edged chance. This was a gaping goal that he somehow contrived to glance wide.
Anyway, do we have something to feel good about? Not too many really. But yes, we do seem to have a free kick taker who can curl the ball over the wall and on target enough to stretch the ‘keeper a bit. To those who missed the game, I was talking about Hargreaves. I hoped, for his own sake, that he actually scored that goal. He had a good game otherwise. A quality player, I must say.
And Anderson has grown so much in stature in such a short period that now plenty of fans are already clamouring for him to be a permanent fixture in midfield alongside Hargreaves. Yes, the kid is some talent and the money we’ve paid for him might seem chicken feed in a year’s time. He brings so much into our game — pace, control, passing, vision and ability to tackle. Carrick is a fine player, but I have a feeling he lacks the fire and urgency that Anderson showed. I take longer before I actually pass judgement on players, and I am still willing to see Carrick long enough before I actually jump to conclusions. I am sure some of you may disagree, but I am that kind of a person.
So what do we do now? Well, we don’t have to actually do anything. We could get on with our lives and wait for the Champions’ League tie against Sporting Lisbon at home. At least they will come to play some decent football. So, while I understand Arsenal have surely gained ground over us and Chelski/Liverpool are biting at our heels, I still feel positive about such setbacks and believe that we will regroup.
Although it certainly is worrying to see that a team without Ronaldo and Rooney lacks the cutting edge that we’ve seen so far.
Oh well, onward and upward.
Related items from Red Rants:
- United 4-0 Wigan: The Goals Are Coming!
- Vote for Player of the Month – January 2012
- SAF Sounds Words of Caution | Safety Arrangements for Roma
- Chelsea v Man Utd: Preview
- Betting Tip: United to roar back to form against Wolves
Tags: Match Reports
Opti (541)
Stephen (484)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
RR said it perfetly – HOW THE FUCK DID TEVEZ MISS??? i was up out of my seat celebrating till i realised he missed. i mean it was a sitter that given half the chance gary neville would have scored!!! if that would have gone in i think that we could have gone on to win the game as we had the momentum going. It was even worse when arsenal scored TWICE with less than 10mins left it seems that they are getting all the luck at the moment! Im not to worried about pool but chelsea will be catching up soon and arsenal seem a strong side, im begining to worry
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Spot on article. The problem is that these days we know that you just can’t afford to give 6 point leads early on in the season (not 6 yet but might as well assume it will be). I know there is still a long way to go but I can’t see Arsenal slipping up now unless they get some of the major injury problems that we’ve had. Not that our injuries are an excuse. We had the players yesterday, no doubt about that. When it comes to Carrick, he is a player who likes to play when he has got time and space to knock it around. He can’t deal with aggressive players snapping at his heels, he hasn’t got the fire in his belly to get stuck in and he’s not composed enough in tight spaces. That’s the major difference between him and Scholes. Anderson definitely looks to be the one that has that. I still think we should hold on to Carrick as a squad player but I believe Anderson should start ahead of Carrick now. I don’t think we will win the Prem this year but if we can get one more striker in Jan, I think we’ve got a good chance in the CL. Saha just wan’t good enough yesterday and he just doesn’t show the same hunger as Rooney and Tevez. He doesn’t run his socks off and put defenders under pressure. As for Giggs, he’s a legend but he’s not doing it any more. He’s not leading the team like a captain. Gary Neville is a good captain but I suspect we’re seeing the demise of Gary as a regular player. Maybe it’s time for a new captain, someone who’s going to be a regular player. I never thought I would say this but I think it has to be Rio!
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Why the fuck did I have to place a bid for Manchester? Every ohter match was exactly what I bet…this fucking match was a terrible prediction.Bolton never won in Autumn…Bolton has never won us home since 60s…Last year we scored four goals in each game …Why the fuck did we lose when the referee was so clearly fucking not going to show the red card? Why ? I mean WHY? YOu know…….WHY FUCKING FUCK OFF BOLTON!
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[NiKOS]
Momma says, Betting/Gambling is not good for health.
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what about hargreaves tho*gives big eyed look* what a free-kick taker,the accuracy and power on them, if think we now know are free kick taker.
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I missed the game because I was visiting relatives. Just wondering, has Anderson started to shoot yet? No doubt there are times when he is in a position to shoot and he passes. I think that’s one thing he’s been lacking since he’s joined us.
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berbatov is pure klass looking at his game, he would be a great asset to have in our squad.
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The only problem is Berbs wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting spot with Rooney and Tevez to compete with and he might start to SULK on the bench. We need a GOOD player, who is willing to come off of the bench for us, and step up when Rooney or Tevez is injured. Saha is just not cutting it as our 3rd striker, he should be sold in the summer once we buy some new players. Or he could stay as a fourth striker..
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Also, if Saha is going to play like he did yesterday, why wouldn’t we just play Ronaldo as a forward and Nani and Giggs on the wings? He’s played as a forward before, and I was reading an old interview with him where he stated that he preferred to play as a supporting striker. I think that Tevez + Ronaldo would be better then Tevez + Saha at the moment. But we shouldn’t have to worry about this too much longer as Rooney should be back pretty soon!
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sign anelka or berbatov!
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I have to disagree with the carrick review. He might not have LOOKED like he was playing with any urgency, but almost all of his passes were forward. He cant make any cutting passes when no one is running to space. When saha just sits infront of the two center halfs and tevez comes all the way to the half line to get the ball then he doesnt have many options does he? He made some good passes to nani just to have nani lose it to the full back. He had a couple of passes to giggs that he couldnt quite get a handle on, but that doesnt mean carrick didnt have a sense of urgency. I think he was smart but pressing. Everyone just looked uninspired and carrick cant be blamed for that.
Anderson for me still looks scared on the ball. He see passes that arent there, and worse yet, tries to make passes that arent there. I’m not saying that he shouldnt play, but if he controlled the ball a little more and took his time, we maybe would have had more chances in the end.
That being said, i do agree that anderson would have been a better choice in the starting XI simply because he CAN run at people and if no one else is going to do anything (aside from tevez) then anderson will try to take the game on his back (which can explain some of his poor passes). If I was being bold, i would say the 11 we finished with would have been the best for this game, with carrick and anderson sharing the middle and hargreaves playing right full back. Or dropping nani and playing anderson on the right. I really do believe that carrick is united quality. And the best part about it is carrick (and anderson for that matter) would actually prefer that hes ‘just the guy who supplies the ball’ and looks like he doesnt want the spotlight on him like rooney and ronaldo do, which is how it should be.
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Dan; I was the only one who suggested that Fergie use Hargo as their free kick specialist before the season even started. He is very good at taking them and given some time to find his feel for it again, I think he has goals in him. Yet again another of my predictions that seems to be coming true. As for the captaincy, I nominate either Hargo or Rooney. The captain has to be a leader and he has to be vocal both as a positive reinforcer as well as a negative one. Both players work their socks off and lead by example. For a newcomer, Hargo seems very comfortable taking charge out there and I notice he is constantly shouting and directing traffic. Certainly Scholes and Carrick never do that.
Rio would be my third choice and I seriously would consider Vidic as well.
As for the race, this one is not over by a long shot. Arsenal still have to visit us and go to Chelski as well as Villa and some other tough grounds. They will lose this season and more than once too. United can lose up to 4 matches in my opinion and still win the title. What they have to guarantee is maximum points at home and as few draws as possible both at home and away. Getting an extra striker in January that actually has desire and hunger will also be a major injection. I’m not giving up on Saha yet because every time I do he pulls a rabbit out of his French beret and gives me hope and encouragement. We need Rooney back ASAP. It’s not broken mate, take a pain injection and just play. As for yesterday’s game, just forget about it. I only get really vocal and angry if the rot persists.
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Group 6 Croatia, ENGLAND, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra
damn crots, backing croatia england and ukraine, any of them, with stiff compition from Kazakhstan
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Comma, I disagree, it’s not just about Rooney and Ronaldo having the spotlight…because what happens when they’re not playing…we lose to Bolton! We need one of our central midfielders to do what Scholes has done for years…be a supplier but also be in the spotlight sometimes as well…make something happen, be that extra player in the opponents area when they’re least expecting it. Gerrard does it for Liverpool, and Cahill is brilliant at it for Everton. Don’t get me wrong, I still rate Carrick, I thought he was great last season but I don’t think he’s fufilling his potential. He should just be hitting his peak now and he doesn’t have enough games like he did against Roma at OT last season. To be fair to him, he has normally been used as the holding midfielder but with Hargo in the team now, he needs to show that he can also be a player with penetration.
Grognard, I think Hargo could be a good captain but he needs to earn his colours at United. He’s only been there 2 minutes and I don’t think that would go down well at all with the other players. Rooney is still too young and to be honest, he still lets frustration get the better of him. He doesn’t set a good example when things aren’t going his way. He needs to mature. I think Rio has been fantastic the last couple of seasons and he’s earnt the fans respect again after losing it big time a couple of years ago.
Unless Gary is back playing regularly, it definitely needs to be sorted. There was a clear lack of leadership on the pitch yesterday, and not for the first time.
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to be honest, the loss is no big surprise. the disjointed performance can be put down to the international break, and in any case, we always have a surprise loss to a so called ‘lesser’ team at least once or twice every season; last season it was west ham (and portsmouth – although whether they can be considered a ‘lesser’ team is open to debate). hopefully there will be no more losses/performances like this for a long time… the key is to get this blip out of the way and embark on a long surge of victories from now until the new year, which is what we traditionally do anyway, and keep pace with arsenal, whilst fending off liverpool and chelsea who are breathing down our necks now.
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Youre right Graham. I do think someone needed to step up, and carrick certainly was not the man doing it saturday. He did look like he was trying to push passes forward but that was it. Hes not going to beat anyone on the dribble so you can count that out. I also think that he has a better shot than most seem to think, but he hasn’t backed me up on that either. Anyway, my point was I thought it a tad bit unfair to blame carrick for the lack of production when the whole team played uninspired. Surely there were far greater evils in our side then carrick not creating a goal.
Also, i want to reiterate that anderson would have been a better choice for the starting job than carrick if for nothing more than his recent form. But i also dont think selling carrick is the answer either. Just because carrick prefers to be in the shadows does not mean he isnt united material.
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I absolutely agree with the Carrick prognosis. Yes, he is a very good player, can retain the ball well and does have the habit of putting the ball on a six pence. BUT i think Anderson’s surprisingly quick adaptation to our game has seen him off the radar totally. For the first time since Carrick has arrived at OT he has more than serious competition and performing competition. Even though Carrick did play a major part in last year’s championship winning form, I think that Hargo and Anderson with O’Shea and Fletcher for support should be a very good CM. I think Carrick should be one of the candidates to go next summer, especially if the Veloso rumours are true.
I know a lot of you are saying that losing such a quality player is not a good idea, he is a very good player but is he United good? Would any of you say right now that you would rather see him and Hargo than Anderson.. And as far as Saha goes, i think he is an absolute waster. He moans about being fragile can’t seem to make runs or assists for that matter. HE is one that definitely should go….
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Nikos… i probably made the same bet as you mate…. i had 7 results go my way and then My team United done me over… My goodness.. Come on United
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And Venu… You can call Saha alot of things, but not a waster mate… Grab the United season review of last season and then tell me he is a waster
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Disappointing .. Very disappointing.. The biggest disappointment for me has to be Giggs, simply because he was one player who had to take charge of the situation as a senior player but he couldnt even make his five-yard passes, that really sucks imo. When his team needed him the most, he disappointed. Enough of excuses like Giggs is too old, put in players that can take care of themselves. Carrick isnt doing himself any good by showing lack of any imagination. If Campo is winning everything in midfield, then whats the point of having both Carrick and Hargo? Only bright light being Anderson. Did miss a few passes but you will give him that. He did more than Carrick did whole day. We need more matchwinners and Anderson will become one, the nice thing being his work-ethic is also top-class, not just content with simply picking passes but dominating the game. To win against top sides and DESERVE our wins, we need people like him.
We lacked leadership yesterday. There is a clear lack of cohesion among the players, all are fighting their individual battles, Nani is engrossed on the wing, Tevez is running around and doing what Carrick should be doing and so on. We need somebody to tell people their jobs. We need Gary back asap. WE not only miss his leadership but also his quality crosses, he keeps the opposition busy in their own half.
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did anyone notice that pool on winning the game in their hand will take them ahead of us in goal difference??
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http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=66717
excellent if this is true, we get our man and the twins get expirence
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can carrick play alongside hargreaves,,we had the lions share of possesion but was it fruitfull. come on guyz, the bolton keeper was only really tested a handfull of times until anderson came in and we statred moving forward.
the same question as to whether gerrard and lamps can play in the same team.
it was clear ferguson was taking a defenseive approach and waiting for that one chance which the game could have been sealed off with..i agree with most bloggers here that anderson should be starting ahead of carrick as he is more of an attack minded player,he is more of a scholes and thats what we need now coz without creating nuff chances then we are wasting the talents of saha,tevez, nani and co.
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and to Graham(no. 2) above..oooh yeah! man utd will lift the trophy at the end of the season. everyteam will lose points and only 13-14 games have been played.
but its also sad to see that when the team is missin both man utd (rooney) and man utd (ronaldo) we dont have the tenacity to draw blood from other teams so lets cross our fingers and hope they will be fit all season.
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I had a long story to tell on Saturday, but I am glad I didn’t. Would have been just my frusrations talking.
I think Bolton was simply the better team on the day. Period. They showed more urgency and deserved the win.
Someone made this comment last week on Soccerlens, and it actually stuck with me:
“NO RONALDO, NO GOALS!”.
Regarding Carrick…
I don’t think we should sell him. That said, if the alleged Spurs offer comes in to take him back to WHL, I don’t think SAF should turn it down either.
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We will definitely win the Premiership.
This loss is no indication that we will not. We always perform poorly after an international break…even though that should not be an excuse.
Personally, I feel there were 3 highlights on Saturday:
1. We have a new free-kick taker (Ronaldo just aint good enough for this)
2. Damn that Anderson is something else!?!?!
3. Evra is becomming a more modern/better version of Roberto Carlos.
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karl..there iz 1 mo highlight from the game as much as every1 will try to deny it,,that without ronaldo and rooney.man utd is not the same..its just an average team,,we at least need 1 to be in a game but not both missing..they are the only reliable match winners we got
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Jaluo, what worries me is that Arsenal have gone 28 games unbeaten and we don’t have that consistency. The other thing that concerns me is that we used to be a team that could get crucial goals in the final minutes of a game. Now that doesn’t happen – actually we’re more likely to concede goals in the final minutes. Hope you’re right though! Got a better feeling about the CL.
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Arsenal’s form is fine, and frankly if united play the way they can or should we’ll be ahead in the table(in May) despite Arsenal’s fine form. But the performance in the weekend was not great and the dependence on Rooney and Ronaldo irritates me. They are fine players but dependence can never be a good thing. Moreover, where have the players gone who would play a derby the way it should be played, get stuck in, not scared to get booked, show some god damn aggression.
We all laugh at Wenger when he demands protection from referees, surely Sir Alex shouldn’t be doing the same.
As far as Carrick’s performance goes, he was rusty as Mr. Ranter mentioned, but I’m still a great fan of his and I think he has a role to play, and an important one too.
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Looks like tevez is missing some easy chances in every match. He always seems to be aiming the ball directly at the goalkeeper or shooting just wide.
), I think its time we tried free kicks with tevez and hargreaves. Remember his free kicks at West Ham last time around….
Tevez has been one of my favorite players since World Cup 2006, but he has been somewhat wasteful this season.
But I feel he would still be a very good free kick taker. With ronaldo seeming to have forgotten the art (doesn’t matter as he has obtained may new ones
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