Jul 28
Scholes & Co. Stomp All Over Sailorboys
A friendly game that I managed to watch in full — the unofficial 39th game everyone was talking about — ended in a rather one sided affair. I don’t read too much into pre-season fixtures anyway, but it’s a welcome distraction from the other transfer rumours that fill football websites in the summer.
It’s also a good chance to see how some of the young lads fared; especially considering we were playing a decent premiership side unlike in South Africa.
That said, it was one ‘old’ man who primarily ran the show yesterday. It’s hard to explain how Scholesy continues to amaze. When Fergie said he can play till he’s about 35 I thought he was being kind to his protege. The Ginger Prince will possibly get lesser games this season but on yesterday’s evidence, it disproves that theory.
He, along with Carrick who seems to be improving, was sublime. I hardly saw passes that went astray. But again, it was a friendly, so I’ll not spend too much time talking about this and move on to the others.
Neville had a quiet game and he seems off pace. Silvestre was well, average, whilst Vidic was his usual solid self. Tevez was very sharp, and whilst he did tend to spend more time in midfield or the wing, he put on a very good performance. He was unfortunate to be asked to retake a penalty after putting the first one away but made up for it with a cracking goal that gave David James no chance.
About the young players who started, I was very impressed with Jonny Evans. He was assured and made some brave and well-judged tackles. His loan spells have definitely helped him. On Eagles, he tried but is definitely not United first team material anymore. Darron Gibson didn’t have much to do on the right (although he is a central midfielder) and it looks like he’ll be loaned out or sold on. Fraizer Campbell was disappointing. The kid’s got pace by the bundles, but little composure — it seemed. Or at least he looked like he wanted to try too many things with the goal in front of him. I suppose he could be loaned out to Hull. With guaranteed first team football, it couldn’t possibly hurt, could it?
Other players came in as is the case with friendlies, and no one else really caught the eye.
Related items from Red Rants:- The Scholes-Sunderland connection is BS
- Scholes Out for Three Months. Great News?
- Scholes’ Injury is a Blessing
- What is your formation?
- The Hargreaves Situation
Tags: Daily Roundup · Match Reports
July 28th, 2008 at 10:42
Scholes is the best player we produced of that generation, he is a class act, his back heel in the final made The Portuguese players goal.
Carrick looked good, in my view needs Hargo and Anderson playing with him as minders so he can dictate the the game better like Guttuso and Ambrosini do for Pirlo.
Carlos looked like a player playing for a contract! and could be important for us next season, if we don’t get Berbatov, and Fergie looks like he has no plan B!
July 28th, 2008 at 10:46
Man linked with Henry… Is this for real?
Would be great though
July 28th, 2008 at 10:48
@ManU Fan Foreva: I would never want that poser anywhere near our team, he is a has been mate!
July 28th, 2008 at 10:49
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1060048_reds_go_cool_on_berbatov
July 28th, 2008 at 10:56
@ Stephen: Form is temporary, class is permanent…
I would never write off the arrogant Frenchman, mate
July 28th, 2008 at 11:07
i too wud never…dont see it happening though
July 28th, 2008 at 12:08
@Stephen: It wasn’t a backheel but other than that you’re right
July 28th, 2008 at 13:04
@Tomas: I was probably too drunk to remember that clearly!! All I rember it was class!!
July 28th, 2008 at 13:05
@ManU Fan Foreva: I can’t ever see that mappen mate, I thought he always was big game bottler!
July 28th, 2008 at 13:14
When does
our chief slaveRonaldo come back towork in the dungeons for usManchester does anybody know?July 28th, 2008 at 13:15
@Stephen: It sure was. It was a flick with the outside of his right foot
July 28th, 2008 at 13:19
On the official site it is reported that Hargreaves thinks he is over the tendonitis following injections. Anyone know anything about physio? Because I thought injections reduced inflammation but did not prevent the problem flaring up in the future.
July 28th, 2008 at 13:40
reports are of Keane to Liverpool going thru…does that increase or lessen the chances of
Berbatov coming to Utd?
July 28th, 2008 at 14:01
Scholes demonstrated last night why he is an absolute master, and will be able to continue to do that til he’s 35…but only if afforded that kind of space. Which he won’t get in competitive games. Still, was just beautiful to watch.
Tevez put in a good shift, but I don’t get why he was frequently in our half. We needed him to support Campbell and create some space, rather than just pile people into the midfield. Still, looked 100% better than his first run out last week, so the preseason is obviously helping!
We carved Portsmouth open at will, and looked very sharp indeed. However we still have massive issues with finishing, maybe it’s a United thing
Can’t blame Rooney this time!
I’m not sure what’s happening with Berba. I was stoked when it looked like he’d be coming, but now I’m not convinced. It’s getting close to the real reason kick off, and I’d like to think anyone we’d brought in would be soon so they can gel with the team. No more words from Klaas, nor anyone else really. Could this be the slowest summer ever?
July 28th, 2008 at 14:02
God I love Keano but Chimbonda, Kaboul, and Now El Hadj Diouf he needs his head examined surely!!
July 28th, 2008 at 14:20
@Beachryan: I think mate Spurs are resigned to loosing him and its just a ploy to get the price as high as posible. I would make a bid for “the Hunter” either to check his avialability as a back up, and also to scare Tottenham into lowering their ludacrous price tag for Berba. They know he is going to leave, and if his heart is set on us then they have to do a deal at some point b4 the end of the window.
July 28th, 2008 at 15:15
@Beachryan: I think that the one thing Scholes will never loose is his ability to find space to operate in. There’s simply noone better than him at this. But I think that he’s a little more limited once his teammates are awarded less space, since he relies on players looking for space around the area.
What has changed for Scholes is that he no longer make the many runs that are necessary for an attacking midfielder, if he’s to be a threat. He now services others with his sweet passing, and he wouldn’t work too well in a team with no speed and movement. He’s not a Chelsea type of midfielder.
July 28th, 2008 at 16:31
Scholes is a class act. For me the best player that Manchester United has produced. I have never seen Duncan Edwards play but Ive heard that he was the best of his generation. But he only played for us in 3 years I think. Giggs is a legend, an idol, a good man and a really great footballer. He has won every possible thing of top European trophies. But he has faded the last season and looks like he is not going to play so much anymore considering we have Owen, Ronaldo, Nani and Park too. He may be used more like a CF rather than a LM/LW in the future. But time will tell. Ronaldo is the best player that has worn the United shirt- but only the best PLAYER. He is not such a great person, he is arrogant and is selfish(I could continue, but lets just leave it to that.). He is the most skilfull player Ive ever seen in the world, even better than Ronaldinho, Messi, Quaresma and Kaka. He is the best of skills. Cantona is for me the most amazing fella to have walked on this earth besides Fergie. He will always be my favorite player ever. I dont rate any other higher than him! Best, Charlton, Neville, Law…..I dont want to make this a too long comment since Im about to make one in short time. But I think Scholes is the best footballer to have played under Ferguson. He still plays like he did in 1995, he can score goals that make your jaw fall down to the ground, he can score crucial goals when needed, he can provide and finish. But the level that he has retained during these years is amazing. Last night only got 1 pass wrong! And his shot in the last minute was amazing- had it just gone in!
He will ba an important player in the 2008/09 season too so I hope he will score some more than he did last season. GO SCHOLES! 
July 28th, 2008 at 16:37
@colver: tendonitis is an inflamation in the knee. So by reducind the inflamation as much as possible, the problem should go away (that is not to say that the gas bubbles in the knee will not cause inflamations again in the future, but he should be safe for now.
July 28th, 2008 at 16:38
NB: Scholes was brilliant; I liked Campbell (he just needs confidence and to work on his first touch); I woud love Henry at United just to see the look on the faces of the Arses.
July 28th, 2008 at 17:28
@Stephen: I understand yur point but I think I get Keano’s drift..
All these players have great footballing skills but dampered by doubtful professional attitudes. Now, who better than our no.16 eternal to put some seriousness in their attitudes.
Heck, Liam Miller managed to start coming to training on time under Keano’s authority!
July 28th, 2008 at 17:35
@Stephen: Oh and that’s not all! Check this out!
This is really not boding well for us to get Keano as manager one day! I mean, 10 million! For this guy!???
July 28th, 2008 at 17:44
@Nico QB: For £10m I would pick him up from his house and drive him to Sunderland!
July 28th, 2008 at 17:47
@Andrei: I think it would be imposible for Henry to sign for us, and I really don’t want him!!!
July 28th, 2008 at 18:02
We need Berba for certain!
July 28th, 2008 at 18:50
well robbie keane has signed for the dippers. Levey has been quoted as saying this isnt a transfer, its a forced sale as keane put in a transfer request and made it clear her wants to leave, and for £19million plus £1.5million in various add ons. They are also not going to persue their claim with the premier league, with liverpool making a donation to a spurs supported charity. very strange…
so surely this means berbatov only has to do the same to push his transfer through?
July 28th, 2008 at 19:23
I reckon Ramos is planning 4-3-3, or 4-5-1 so did not really have room for Keane anyway. Berbatov will be much harder to prise away because he would need to be replaced and that would not be easy for Tottenham.
If Keane is prepared to pay 10 million for Saha then his loyalty to Manchester United is beyond question…continuing to buy our dead wood at inflated prices.
July 28th, 2008 at 19:35
I have a question. It isn’t really that important, but I’d like an answer. Any rumbling about players switching numbers?
I have a
Slave BoyRonaldo (Away) and Tevez (Home) from last season. If Tevez switches then I’ll probably buy the new away w/ him on it.Also, is that Blue 3rd we saw floating around a bit back the confirmed 3rd jersey?
July 28th, 2008 at 19:37
@Nico QB:
SELL SELL SELL!
July 28th, 2008 at 20:40
20 million for Robbie Keane, i’m shocked, is he really worth that much??
nice performance by the team yesterday, and what a wonderful goal Tevez scored
July 28th, 2008 at 21:18
I got this from a Soccernet comments section; ithas an interesting perspective on Utd.
“This signing[Robbie Keane to Liverpool] makes it even more doubtful that the top four will change this coming season, but it does seem as though Man Utd. will not be able to retain their first place spot, as all of the Big Four teams have drastically improved their starting lineups. From Arsenal’s signing of Samir Nasri to Chelsea’s signing of Deco and Bosingwa–along with Robinho on the brink–and now Liverpool’s completion of Keane, the teams below Man Utd last year all look poised to stake their claim for domestic honours. United seem in a state of quiet chaos–with Quieroz leaving, Ronaldo’s head set on Real, and their failure to address their defensive needs in the transfer market thus far. It seems difficult to believe they have what it takes to retain the top spot. For me, Chelsea or Liverpool seem a more likely fit for number one. I’d put Arsenal over Liverpool, but I just don’t think Adebayor will match last year’s brilliance–and even then, he was only in top form for half the season.”
What do you guys think?
July 28th, 2008 at 21:41
@hmm: Arsenal have Nasri but they’ve lost Flamini, who was really helpful in making space for Fabregas, and Hleb who created a lot for them and Gilberto. They haven’t anything about the defence as well and that is where they had problems against big teams.
Chelsea have bought a lot of players but they always do that every season, they can be force yes. But qualitywise I believe United are either at par with them or above them.
Liverpool,honestly mate….. If Keane is going to play off Torres then Gerrard’s role would be minimal that is he needs to play more in the midfield, so I think he would play like he plays for England. Now who is going to create the goals for the 2 strikers? they need a top class winger to play more attacking football. Their defence is not world class but is okay.
So I think we would have competition from Chelsea but will finish on top once again.
July 28th, 2008 at 21:44
@hmm:
I’m not terribly worried. Pool are Pool and Arsenal are Arsenal. They will finish 3rd and 4th in some order.
Chelsea is the competition. I think that the improvement of Nani and Anderson will be equivalent to bringing in new faces. We will triumph yet again.
July 28th, 2008 at 21:56
Apparently, Pool apologized for any misleading comments concerning the Keane transfer and also made a donation to Tottenham’s charity.
Thank you, sir. May I have another?
July 28th, 2008 at 23:16
@hmm: Defensive worries? Last time I checked Manchester Mnited had the best defence in Europe, statistically speaking… anyway that guy is probably a Liverpool or Arsenal fan. BTW: I’m going at the lad who made that comment, not you.
On top of that:
->too many new signings can ruin the chemistry in the team (look at Arsenal - they have made 6 changes to their squad already and it will take a while before the players start to gel together).
->Ferguson has announced that he will bring in one player so whether he brings in Berbatov or Huntelaar or Benzema or whoever, he will add firepower to the squad and that will make the team much better and it will probably see us playing more attacking football (not like the Barcelona shit in the semis)
July 28th, 2008 at 23:22
@hmm: Defensive needs????? Arsenal need the most rebuilding amongst the top 4 cus they’ve lost more players, most transfers Arsenal have made are replacements and not supplements. Liverpool with rafatation will only come close and fall half away, only Chelsea seem to be stronger. Arsenal’s squad is still a little too thin. A very close minded and a little ignorant perspective on United.
One point though is that I’m a little bit worried about us not buying any striker, i don’t think we’ll get away with playing Rooney and Tevez this season like we’ve been doing.
July 28th, 2008 at 23:30
@hmm: This is just a typical anti-Man utd. comment.
When did Nasri become a drastical improvement of their starting lineup. That’s just rediculous. I’d take Hleb over him anyday, and they have lost both Flamini and Gilberto as well, plus both Rosicky and van Persie are injury prone, and da Silva will take some time to get fit, and he may never reach his previous level.
Chelsea. Well, I’m not even sure, Deco will figure in the best 11 there, not unless they get rid of Lampard, which it doesn’t look like, they will. I saw Bosingwa at the Euros, and I was imressed with his speed, but I do think he lacks defensively. It’ll be interesting to see. If they don’t have any more significant transfers, they’ll struggle to keep up. They’ve lost Makalele, and even though he is getting old, he was still a very important player for them - especially because Mikel shows worrying signs of a bad temper (how many times has he been sent off?).
I do expect at least one more big name for them, and they certainly need it. Especially on the wings, they don’t have enough quality.
Liverpool. I doubt that Keane, Dossena and Degen are enough to overtake us. Remember, they’ve lost Crouch, Riise and Kewell, and even though many people will think, they have been drastically strengthened, I don’t think that’s the case. Degen is most likely useless, and there are rumours that Arbeloa might leave, and then they’re back with piss poor fullbacks (even though this Dossena guy might be good, we don’t know). Keane is good, but since Benitez likes his lonely striker away from home, Keane might be deplored to the wing role, which I don’t think is his favorite. We’ll see about that one.
They’ll also get Agger back, which will be great for them, since he’s a big talent. But he’s been out for a year, so it might take him some time to get back.
About ourselves. We’re not the ones playing catchup. It’s only natural that the chasers try to strengthen, but it’s not always that easy simply to get stronger. It’s not easy to stay strong either, but I think that we’ll be freshened up by a new striker to keep momentum going.
About the loss of CQ. It’s not like, there’s noone to help SAF. He has several very experienced coaches around him. And he may have been some sort of father figure for the young latinos, but they’re grown-ups and know the business. They’ll do fine without him and will take to the new assistant as well.
Other than that, I think we’re fine. We have the strongest and most exiting squad in the league, and it’s up to the others to show, they have what it takes to pip us to the title 3rd time in a row… the pressure is on them.
July 28th, 2008 at 23:44
I aint worried bout Pool and Arse, as long as United have Fergie and his mind is right we will always be the top team. Well, injuries also make a big part, but that is something that happens to every team. Rooney was injured for several parts last season, so was Scholes, Vidic, Evra, Neville, Carrick and Owen- but we still won the League. Every season, a player will get injured. Ronaldo got injured in the summer, Saha, Park and Owen have all gotten slight knocks, and they will get injured again. Torres, Fabregas, Terry, Adebayor, Gerrard…. They didnt cope with the injuries because of lack in squad strenght. We can replace Scholes with Anderson, Carrick with Owen, Ronaldo with Nani, Giggs with Park, Rooney or Tevez with possibly a new signing or Saha, Van der Sar with Foster or TK, Neville with Brown and Evra with Silvestre.
Arsenal will have to replace Almunia with Fabianzki, Sagna with Eboue, Gallas with Song, Clichy with Traore, Fabregas with ?, Denilson with ?, Nasri with Walcott, Rosicky with ?, Adebayor with Eduardo and van Persie with Bendtner. They dont have really good replacements in severla positions, they have to use reserves or buy cheap, too young players. That is not good enough to win the League.
Chelski have the Luxury problem, that is why they have been our main threat in long time. They can replace Cech with Cudicini, Bosingwa with Ferreira, Terry with Alex, Cole with Bridge, Essien with Mikel, Ballack with Lampard, Deco with Schevchenko(HA-HA), Cole with Malouda, Drgoba with Pizarro(even bigger HA-HA!) and Wright-Phillps with Kalour or possibly Robinho. Good squad, but they lack a good replacement at CF. Small chance every midfielder will be injured at the same time, so no worries there.
Liverpool try, try, try, try but never get it right. They have a player that can score 20 plus goals a season, but they still finished 4th. they will replace Reina with Insua, Degen with Finnan, Agger with Skrtl, Aurelio with that italian guy, Kuyt with Pennant, Gerrard with Xabi Alonso, Machcerano with Lucas, Babel with ?, Torres with Voronin(Laughing my lungs out! HA-HA) and Keane with ?. Who knows what that squad will achieve cause they have good quality, but they just dont have the edge to be a Champion.
Short said: I am not worried about the new season, Liverpool can buy how much they want, but it still wont help them. Arseanl have become a sell-club and Chelski simply are too old.
Rios laughter is funny!
July 29th, 2008 at 1:26
New post up
July 29th, 2008 at 1:27
Hey Guys! Good NEWS! After Keane’s transfer to the scouse bastards is finished(Here’s hoping that Benitez gives him months of sitting on the bench because Benitez is crazy after all)! Yesterday Spurs beat Norwich 5-1 in a friendly! And guess what? Berbatov sat on the bench and refused to change! HAHA. Here is what the Daily Mail has to say:- “Tottenham fans face more disappointment, with Dimitar Berbatov’s transfer to Manchester United nearing completion. He cut a moody figure on the Spurs bench on Monday night, not getting changed despite being named as a substitute in the friendly against Norwich.”
YES! Here comes Berba! (I HOPE!
)
July 29th, 2008 at 1:36
@Red Diablo: I think I predicted that a few days ago now didn’t I? Like I said then, Fergie knows what he’s doing and Levy is an ass clown.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:43
That article makes me laugh. Arsenal are still short of world class players and as usual trying to replace experience with youth which doesn’t work. Liverpool are still buying average players in bulk and of their players only Torres and Gerrard would have a hope of getting into our team.
Chelsea are still the only serious contenders especially if they get Robinho. SAF hinted they were too old but they still pack a heck of a lot of energy in midfield and are upping their skill leves with the signings of Deco and possibly Robinho. But if Scolari tries to get them to change the way they play it could disrupt the rhythm theyve had the past three years or so.
If we got Berbatov it really would put the title beyond doubt but if that does not happen then we’re going to be again overly reliant on Ronaldo for goals
July 29th, 2008 at 1:46
@Grognard: Good that you’ve come around on Fergie regarding transfers. A month ago you were gasping for breath while frantically refreshing Newsnow waiting for the latest breaking news on transfer.
Nice to see that you’ve finally got a measure of the British gutter press, as well as more patience.
July 29th, 2008 at 2:44
@Grognard: Welcome to the path of light!
July 29th, 2008 at 13:28
Does Keane to Liverpool means Arshavin to Spurs???…