Sep 03
Some More BerbaTalk
Yes, I’ve coined that word and have applied for a copyright. Today we’ll indulge in a little more BerbaTalk©®, as I’ve never really penned my thoughts on the Bulgarian, post-transfer.
Reports yesterday suggested that we’ve indulged in some underhanded dealing with regards to Dimitar Berbatov. Ferguson personally picking Berbatov from the airport clearly showed how badly he wanted to sign the striker. But Levy does not see things that way with Spurs maintaining that they did not accept an offer for Berba even as late as 23:30pm.
Now I am not saying that we covered ourselves in glory over this summer long courtship. We may have done some things wrong or Levy might just be bitter. The fact is there is very little evidence to suggest that we’ve done things wrong (or 100% right, for that matter) and the result is Berbatov is our player.
But this game of brinkmanship was clearly not good for both parties involved. Spurs might think they made a healthy profit with their sale of an unhappy man, but they have regressed for all their purchase in the summer. Losing an excellent strike partnership is never going to be an easy act to follow up with a half decent forward line. They were happy when they sold Carrick at a ginormous profit, but have they ever got a settled midfield after his departure?
Similarly, we may think that we got an excellent player that could be the final piece in our jigsaw and feel happy about it. However, we also got our pants pulled down and got fleeced over transfer fees. Leave along Man City’s late push — if you’re going to leave it late, you are going to spend a lot, especially if you are Manchester United.
But all that money spent would be forgotten if Berbatov shows the form he showed for Spurs. Berbatov’s arrival erased the frustrations and pain of the summer. His addition gives our team the firepower to unlock most defences. His physical presence and tendency to stay more within the box than in midfield will give us more options.
I just think he’s a top, top player and I’d take him gladly. Now the big question is how Fergie will play him. The amount spent on him clearly means he won’t bench him. However, we paid about the same for Rooney and are reported to have agreed a similar fee for Tevez. On current form alone, Tevez should partner Berbatov in a 4-4-2. However, Fergie must not play Rooney out wide now that we have our man. I say this for the sake of Rooney’s future.
So what do you think about Berbatov? And how do you think he’ll be used in our lineup?
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Tags: Daily Roundup
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:22
4-1-3-1-1
with the fab 4, Hargo, Nani, Andi/Scholes, slave, Rooney/Teves, Berba
this is a possible line up. What do ya reckon? Attack attack attack!
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:32
To get the best out of the players we have, Rooney and Tevez should both play behind Berbatov in a 4-3-2-1 formation. The problem would be accomodating Ronaldo/Giggs/Scholes/Hargreaves/Carrick/Anderson/Nani in the 3 midfield places. It is to our advantage that almost all the players mentioned are flexible in the positions they play.
On the other hand, it is unlikely that Berba/Rooney/Tevez will all play in all games.
Having said that, now that we have an out-and-out striker, Rooney should not be utilised as a centre-forward/winger anymore. To get the best out of the white Pele, he should play where he does most damage. If we play 4-4-2, one of Tevez/Rooney needs to sit it out.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:53
I quite agree with RedB on that 4-3-2-1 formation. But i think choosing 3 out of Ronaldo/Giggs/Scholes/Hargreaves/Carrick/Anderson/Nani is too difficult. And don’t forget park and fletcher who’s our top scorer currently =) I would go with a 4-2-3-1 personally. The usual back 4 with 2 midfielders to be chosen between Scholes/Carrick/Hargreaves/Anderson/Fletcher, with nani on the left rooney in the middle and tevez on the right drifting in and berba with the lone striker role. Ronaldo will take over nani when he’s back with park and nani as backup attacking midfielders. So it will look like this –
————VDS————
–Brown–Rio–Vidic–Evra–
—-Scholes—-Anderson—- (Since Carrick and Hargo currently injured)
—Tevez—Rooney—Nani—
———Berbatov———
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:54
@RedB: I agree with the 4-3-2-1 formation, and it should be utilised in europe and those tough games against Chelski and co:
————VDS————-
Brown—-Rio—-Vida—-Evra
———Hargreaves———
—Scholes——–Carrick—
——Tevez——Rooney—–
———-Berbatov———-
We usually play a similar formation in Europe already and with Ronnie out, this is what i expect in our first CL game, with Anderson, Fletch, Possebon as midfield subs. Nani, Giggs, Park will be forward subs. Defence subs are Evans, O’shea, Gary, Twins and Kuszcy.
The formation is water-tight and we can also provide width with evra and brown down the wings supporting rooney and tev. Hargreaves would be a DMF, sitting almost parallel with Rio and Vida and will allow Scholes and Carrick to create and almost play a SS role when roo and tev take up wing roles. Berba just stays up there and pushes the defence line back so as to create space for rooney, tev, scholes and carrick to playmake and shoot.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:57
This may sound as a really offensive lineup, but I think its the best for most parts:
———VDS———–
Brown–Rio–Vidic–Evra
—Anderson–Carrick—
Rooney–Tevez—Ronaldo
——-Berbatov——–
Ronaldo on the left wing, Rooney playing a little more central, next to Tevez. United usually dont play static football, every player in just one position, so I think Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo will rotate behind Berbatov and confuse opponents.
I think Berba is an amazing deal. I dont care that he cost £30 mull, I am sure he will be worth it. He is the only “real” striker we have right now with Saha leaving, Campbell on loan and Manucho injured so I am positive that this will be really good. If he gets his debut against the Scousers, he will score, mark my words!
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:01
I guess we all have a rough idea with the formation that SAF’s gonna put. It’s either 4-3-2-1 or a 4-2-3-1. I feel either one will work too. Wat u guys think?
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:17
Wow.we have 3 strikers who each cost 30m.thats extraordinary.fergie is right when he says this squad is the strongest of all.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:18
As per our normal PL english comp formations, i’ll take our usual fluid 4-4-2:
————-VDS————
Brown—-Rio—-Vida—-Evra
—————————-
—–Carrick—————-
————-Scholes——–
Nani——————-Giggs
——-Rooney—————
————Berbatov——–
This is what I hope the formation will be, with Tev switchin for Roo and Berb as I think he can play both positions. Honestly, I put Rooney where he does the most damage and that’s in the hole, berb and tev can play here too but i’ll prefer them upfront and maybe during the game can switch just to confuse defenders.
Our wide players Nani and Giggs will provide width (obviously), with park and fletch providing backup, since ronnie is out. The midfield picks itself, Scholes and Carrick are our best partnership at the mo and it’ll take some improvement from Ando and possebon to displace it. Defence, same ‘ol story, with the same ‘ol backup.
This formation should be lethal with our front trio of roo, tev and berb able to switch btw games so as to keep our attack fresh and hungry.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:18
4-2-3-1 will work for me
EDVS
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Carrick Scholes
Ronaldo Rooney Nani
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:18
Since our next game is against the dippers, he can play JOS up front with KitKat behind him and we’d still beat the s*** out of them. That’s without the fact that Gerrard and Torres won’t play. As it is, we’re in for a treat, trust me.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:22
Team balance is more important than to try to accomodate three strikers in one team.rooney or tevez have to sit on the bench.in my opinion it should be rooney,he needs a kick in his arse.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:25
RedDevil, I think your formation is mouthwatering. It is bound to have chelsea or any other top european team quaking in their boots.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:26
@RedDevil: that is a pretty decent line-up
but i think we should stick with the 4-4-2, not just because to accomodate our swarming pool of talented midfields, but also to lessen fatigue-injury chances for our three forwards. that being said, rooney/tev/berbaman should share equal rotations. If one of the gets injured, man that’s a big blow now that manuchie is still sidelined.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:29
woops,sorry about the earlier comment, press the enter button too early. what i was saying is we should use either 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1…….. or whatever formation that will make sure we accomodate the large midfield options at our disposal in the best way possible
@ Redranter. my ajax thing doesnt allow me to edit comments(says i dont have enough permissions to do so).little help please? 2)how does one uploada picture to appear next to your name
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:39
———-VDS——— ———VDS——-
Brown-Vidic–Rio-Evra Brown–Vida–Rio–Evra
—-Hargo—Carrick– —Ronny–Andy–Nani—
Ronny—Rooney—Tevez —–Tevez–Rooney—-
——–Berba——– ———Berba——–
*With Scholes and Giggs
rotating with Andy and Nani
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:41
@john freakin’ o’shea: I think we should play with the team I posted there as our team on home games in the Prem, where we always go to attack, dominate and win. When we play teams like Chelski, Pool and Arse, and Cl games, I think this should be our formation:
————-VDS———-
Brown—-Rio–Vidic—-Evra—
——-Carrick/Hargreaves——
Ronaldo–Anderson/Scholes–Nani
——Rooney/Tevez————-
—————-Berbatov——
That way, we have fast and good passing players behind Berba, all he needs to do is to put those crosses into the net! We can counter with 5 midfield players and Rooney/Tevez + Evra. Its mouthwatering, I tell you!
P.S. The team and formation I used in comment nr.5 is what I use on FIFA 08 and will use on FIFA 09.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:43
My previous comment came out a bit weird so i’ll explain. The one on the left is Defensive and the one on the right is Attacking and the * is reffering to the attacking formation
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:44
im thinking off the top of my head here, and i know it may look a bit odd and lacking in wideness.. but if you think about the interchangeability (i have applied for the trademark on that!) of our team… it could work here goes…
Berbatov
Tevez Rooney Ronaldo
Carrick Hargreaves
evra vidic rio brown
VDS
you would get berbatov bagging the goals, the supporting three making a mockery of the best defences around and then hargreaves and carrick would be pinging (has that got a trademark?) the ball all over the park.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:44
Tevez should never be dropped to the bench. He is on fire at the moment. I think he would be an ideal replacement for Scholesy. He certainly tackles better than Scholesy right now. I think scholesy himself says he is winding up his career now. Tev is all over that midfield, and comes out with the ball from his tackles more often than not. He should be our offensive midfielder, not Andie. Andie is better Central midfield.
My team:- Fanfare PLEASE lol!.
Edwin/Ben
Wes/Raphael Rio Namanja Evra/Fabio
Hargo/Carrick
Ronnie/Park TEV/Scolesy Nani/Giggsy
Rooney
Berbatov/MAN-u-cho
Absolute World beaters LOL.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:46
@RedDevil: oh i see
yeah for big teams they should bring the 3 forwards for serious threat 
in fifa 08 this is my line up:
——-vds———
-brown–rio–vida–evra
-ron–carrick–nani/giggs
—tev——roon–
——berbaman—–
are you ready? FIFA09 on stores oct3:cool:
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:47
Wow, i didn’t know i would have such a hard time picking my stariting 11. I ask myself what is going to happen when every one of our players is fit? God have mercy on our rivals!
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:49
@Craig Mc: i agree tev should not be dropped right now, but we should not force ourselves to accomodate all strikers, we should have balance.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:52
@DK: I dont want God to have mercy on our rivals.
I want him to let us burn, mark for live and then kill our opponents(not die, just make them pass out from dissyness(TM, RedDevil 
) our forward line will give them.). THIS IS AWSOME!!! 
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:55
our team is already strong on paper.
manchester united > chelski+arse+lpool
now who would disagree on that?!
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:58
Anyone consider just how feckin fortunate it was for us that Shitty did go in for Berba at the last minute. He wouldn’t have been given permission to come to Manchester otherwise. Levy says that they let him leave for Manchester to go talk to Man Shitty. They didn’t bargain that Berba’s agent would phone Fergie to tell him they were heading into Manchester airport. So while Mark Hughes was still on the golf course, Fergie was speedin to the airport, picking up Berba and disappearing into THIN air, whisking Berba & agent to God knows where. Spurs meanwhile were frantically trying to locate Berba/agent. I’d say the agent was the devious little GIT in all this, cos Fergie would not have got his opportunity if the agent hadn’t phoned him en route to Manchester.How glad am I Man Shitty went in for him, and got him to Manchester – jokes on them though!.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:00
@John freakin o’shea
Man I cant wait for ‘it’ to be released but i have a question though. since team lineups of previous versions only included players transffered before 27th august, will FIFA 09 follow this heritage or will it be upto date
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:02
@Craig Mc: Shitty – Once a joke, always a joke!
Manchester United > Manchester City
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:03
ahh come on guys, everyone knows pro evo is gonna kick fifa’s arse, same it does every year.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:05
@Nelson Otieno: FIFA 09 comes out 3rd October. FIFA 08 and FIFA 07 came out September 15th or sumthing. FIFA 09 comes out so late cause the transfer window this year was until 1st September. They sould have updated Berbatov, Robinho, Riera and players that moved on the last day. So, I wouldnt worry, I just look forward to when it comes. Ive heard its great.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:06
@Will: preach that gospel man!! Pro evo rules!!! Fifa’s just a wannabe…
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:08
@Will:
Was that meant to be serious or a joke. Real: 
Joke: 
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:11
all fukn hippocritical cunts..wish calderon did the same to ronaldo,,wudve bin fun
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:13
@Red Devil Yup its great. I cant wait to white wash fake madrid and put one over tottenham. i’ll make sure berbatov scores
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:14
@RedDevil: haha, i KNEW this would start if i said that, but ok, so pro doesnt have licened kits (until you d/l the patches) its a vastly superior footballing recreation.. pace speed and gameplay are much more realistic, plus this years will have a fully licenced united team…. ive played pro since it was ISS and ive played FIFA since ‘97 and i have to say whilst fifa do the whole “ooo look a new way to fuck around with the right analogue stick” each year, pro has come on leaps and bounds (with the exception of lasts years abomination) and so it was real what i said. and i think a lot of people will agree.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:16
HOOO-aah, Strider, do I detect a note of bitterness there mister?. Go have a few beers man, your sorrows will soon turn to euphoria. Well, it’ll make you feel better anyway I suspect.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:17
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:20
I believe that Tevez can easily make the transition to an offensive midfield player. He has the lungs, the work rate and the skills to be a superb midfielder. That will make possible to play Rooney and Berba up front.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:21
By the way Strider, IF Real M could have done us they would. They did just about every dirty trick in the book to get Ronnie. So no, as the author of this article said, we may not have been whiter than white in our attempts to get Berba. Then, it cannot be proved can it, just like Real M.s couldn’t. Not too concerned though, because nobody in football is whiter than white, with all the money being flashed around anymore. Spurs are just as bad. It’s dog eat dog Strider, we may not like it, but is is a fact of football life mate!.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:23
and at least am happy the commentators have changed(at least one of them). but i still wish allan parry
was featured( i know he’s a fuckin liverpool cunt but still has a great voice)
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:26
Will i totally agree with ur formation. Carrick and Hargreaves are the 2 most capable midfielders that can battle any team as well as create chances. Though both are defensive midfielders, i guess that it can work perfectly. Hargreaves will win the ball while Carrick creates it. Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez will do all the ripping apart with their movements while Berbatov will either bang in the goals or create those moments of magic and slip in one of the attacking trio.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:28
PES 2009 vs FIFA 09!
Rooney looks like a pig and Kuzczacks face aint even real. In PES, the players look amazing, but the gameplay sucks.
FIFA is the best if you ask me. PES dont even have real kits for the Prem, United kit is like we were playing in the 50s! You can hit 50 yard passes just by standing still, shoot a volley that looks like its going to the right corner flag, until it curls to the left flag, and in the end it curls to the right flag again. I mean, what the fuck?! The players look great, I have to admit that. Most of them look completely real, unlike in FIFA where Ronaldo looks like Michael Jackson.
FIFA 09 looks different. You can see in the vid that Rooney looks almost the same now, in EURO 2008 we saw that Ronaldos looks is almost taken from reality into the game and Fabregas doesnt look like a girl that has made an unsuccesful operation. The players look better, so that is a major bonus. The gameplay in FIFA is amazing. It looks exactly like the real world, cause you cant hit a 200 m/h shot by just standing still, you have to move some steps first. You need to have the perfect body.shape when you cross if you want it to be a good one, and the skills are breathtaking. Now that Ronaldos free-kicks are known, he hits them the same in the game as in the real world. You can pass the ball to a running player when you have a free kick now(Im gonna use that with Rooney and Scholes) and you can jump over the ball. PES was the best game until 2007 when you couldnt edit players anymore. You cant make your own teams, your own kits and you cant make new players, you have tp “download a piture”. And when you do that in the game, the game is so slow it takes 80 mins to finish what is supposed to be a 10 minute match. PES have stopped going forward, unlike FIFA who just gets better and better for every year. I am looking forward to FIFA 09!
If Groggy sees that we have started another FIFA vs PES argument here, he will probably start comment again.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:32
New Ronaldo free-kick tecnique on FIFA 09. You guys have to admit it looks real.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:34
Nice take on the Berbatov transfer, Craig. I can imagine a phone call
Levy: “Berbatov where the hell are you?”
Berbatov: “Funny thing. I went off to Manchester like you told me to and was waiting for City to pick me up from the airport. But they never came. Then I got taken ill so a kind Scottishman took me to the hospital then when they doctors said there was nothing wrong with me he asked for my autograph.”
Levy: “Shiiiiiiiiiit”
Until Ronaldo comes back I say we play all three and then we can work out some sort of pecking order for when Ronaldo returns
Something like:
EVDS
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Carrick
Anderson Fletcher/Hargo
Tevez
Berbatov Rooney
Rationale:
This is a narrow diamond formation. Carrick holds and in Anderson and Fletcher/Hargo we have dynamic, energetic midfielders who can cover the gaps that the formation leaves and prevent us getting stretched. Tevez plays as an attacking midfielder who wins the ball, runs into space and then plays in Rooney or Berbatov. The full backs bomb forward giving us width.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:36
@RedDevil: yep, infact this is a cunning ploy to lure him back here… i mean if your watching ..GROG where are you? please come back.
anyway forget pro evo and fifa.. for me its im on setanta sports.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:39
@Will: I played PES a lot before, more than FIFA. I remember I created my own team, United kits from the 90s and scored lots of goals on volleys from corners. It was great! But when PES 08 came out, I wondered: “Have to creators lost their fantasy?” Tha game sucked, I scored my first goal with Rooney running(and just running) from the halfway line to the 18-yard box where I rounded the keeper by still running and then putting the ball in the net from a dead angle. It was fun if you like to score simple goals and not wanting anything challanging, but I am not like that. I like challanges, FIFA is unpredictable and I have never scored a goal just by running in the game. Sorry, but PES sucks real bad now.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:41
@Will: I bet Jose and Rooney will take the crdit for Berbatov joining United. They won that gameshow and gave the money to Fergie!
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:44
@RedDevil: haha too right… i do agree with you that pro evo 2008 sucked donkey balls but this year (fingers crossed) it will be back to its supremeness, but ask yourself this… would you buy fifa if it didn’t have the licences?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:48
@Will: Probably yes. Because the gameplay is very good and the players are acting like in reality… so my answer is yes.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:52
Anymore thoughts guys?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:53
@colver: Where will you put Ronaldo? I think after what Fergie showed this summer, Ronaldo will probably be the first player on the team sheet.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:56
@ RedDevil that clip looks fuckin real i had to replay it over and over.damn i just cant wait for it
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:59
I think if the team do okay in the goals departments now we have Berba to help, Fergie won’t rush Ronnie back at all. He will probably bring him back more gradually. Then again, I could be wrong lol.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:04
I would likke to see 4-3-3 with Berba through the middle and Rooney and Tevrz either side, doing the leg work.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:08
we have new assistant manager …
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7BB4CEE8FA%2D9A47%2D47BC%2DB069%2D3F7A2F35DB70%7D&newsid=6617460
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:10
John Freakin O’Shea, I see what you mean about having balance with all our strikers mate. But if Tev plays in the attacking midfield role, similar to the one Lampard plays at Chelski, I think he get get more goals than that position as Frankie boy does for the enemy. Scholesy as I said is winding up his career. So we could accomodate Tev, the Roon, and Berba.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:12
@man utd – Aleksandar: not good, that means less latin talent and more english…
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:12
@man utd – Aleksandar: Oh God, wish we would appoint a a decent foreign coach, with some insight into Euro/world football rather than a “job for the boys” merchant.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:13
MUTV breaking news. Mike Phelan has been appointed Fergie’s right hand man, and Rene Meulensteen first teem coach. Looks like another money saving exercise by the Reds.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:14
Oh sorry, already broken on the blog then – lol, didn’t see it. Open your eyes Craig.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:26
with the assistant manager being handed down to people already there.. i think we’ll be seeing giggsy joining ole in the coaching staff next year.
September 3rd, 2008 at 13:51
@Craig Mc: Liverpool have been shitter than usual since Sammy Lee took over as AM. Sometimes big changes can be bad.
@RedDevil: Fifa is good until you get near the goal and you can’t take it around the keeper or if you take a shot from 8 yards and the keeper turns into superman to stop it. If you found PES that easy put up the difficulty. That said last year was rubbish but ever since I played PES 3 every edition bar last years was better than FIFA
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:00
our team is strong on paper and on the pitch
Manchester united > chelski+lpool+arse
and shitty will never ever ever be in the same caliber as united.
now who would disagree on that?
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:05
Liam, why did you personally direct your comment on Sammy Mc, L’Fool changes etc to me?. I was just reporting the changes were happening at United, because I saw it on MUTV breaking news. I never said I was in favour of those appointed, or that it was a good thing. In fact, I was looking forward to a very good foreign coach coming in. I think United only did this, because they have to tighten their money belts, after Tev and Berba transfer money layout this year. Do you just have my name on your brain Liam – LOL?.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:15
Dan: That wouldn’t really be my problem with the appointment. My biggest concern is, that being part of the club for 20 years, Phelan will be too ingrained in the clubs current methods and a yes man to SAF. I’d rather someone come in from outside (the club and possibly England) to bring new ideas into the club. Still he deserves his chance and Rene’s promotion is no bad thing.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:21
you said it was a money saving scheme so I was pointing out that it hasn’t helped one of our Rivals to bring in a (I assume) big money AM. Btw I was obsessing about you all day I just couldn’t wait to get home so I could piss you off. This rivalry we seem to have developed is definately the most important thing in my life right now
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:24
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:28
I reckon we promoted Phelan because an outsider or foreign person is going to be made Manager when Fergie leaves. That new person will need a solid right-hand man who has been with the club for a while, knows everyone and everything about the club, can act as an intermediary btw the new manager and background staff, and most importantly, will not be too bitter about not getting the manager job.
I really hope Carlos would succeed SAF and maybe this stint as Portugal boss will be his work-experience. National team coaches usually don’t hang around for long with the national sides and hopefully he proves he is good enough while there and will come back and take over the reigns from SAF.
Continuity is what I think has made Manchester United so successful over the past years. We have people/former players who genuinely love the club, occupying top positions and since they always want what’s best for the club, there are hardly any dubious scandals or decisions that will compromise our teams performances. Maybe that’s why I want a person who has been successfully associated with us in the past, and out of the list, Qeuiroz looks the most qualified.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:31
I really think Fergie should NOW(bf Ron returns) start playing a 4-2-3-1 with Scholes and Carrick(or Anderson or Hargo) behind Fletcher, Rooney and Tevez. Berba plays alone upfront, but we all know that he is also very fluid position-wise so it might end up being a 4-2-4-0 almost
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:33
anyone seen this!!
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:33
@Red Ranter
“However, Fergie must not play Rooney out wide now that we have our man. I say this for the sake of Rooney’s future.”
I agree red rants we can’t play rooney out left we can’t play tevez there either. Question is can you play all three at once?
My team
————VDS———-
—BROWN—–VID—–RIO—–EVRA
——–CARRICK——-HARGO——-
—RON——TEVEZ\ROON——NANI—
————-BERB—————–
Plenty of options for SAF considering players on the bench but tevez and rooney are competing for the same place IMO for my ideal formation.
Sure you could fit Tev or Ron on the left instead of Nani but thats square pegs for rounds holds.
Never thought I would say it but at the minute I would play Tevez behind berb instead of rooney.
What would you suggest then if you cant play Rooney out left???
@Sunny:
“Team balance is more important than to try to accomodate three strikers in one team.rooney or tevez have to sit on the bench.in my opinion it should be rooney”
Sunny I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. Totally agree
England managers have been/are being criticised for doing the exact same thing alot of people on this site are suggesting to do.
Team balance is what is needed.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:37
On the lighter note huntelaar says a second grade European team, put up an offer of 32m for him which he turned down!!!
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:38
Liam, you get crazier by the minute
, you little obsessive you 
. If you like pissing people off as much as I do, then I wouldn’t put it past you 
. Anyway, I see why you made the post now 
.
JB – I feel exactly the same as you said in your post mate. I wanted someone new, preferably foreign, and who could bring in new ideas and be equal with Fergie, if you see what I mean. I just got to thinking, do you think United see this as short term thing, because in 2 seasons they will be replacing Fergie
, and whoever they bring in, will want his own people with him anyway!.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:49
R –
, I think Tevez must have been about 16yrs old there, and bloodied the nose of a lad twice his size. He really can get into it, can’t he?. Now he just wants to throttle people 
.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:52
I wonder if the 2nd grade European team that put in the offer of 32 million for Huntelaar was Man (moneybags) Shitty?
.
September 3rd, 2008 at 14:56
Curbishley has resigned for the Hammers. We wont see anymore of him in the near future.
September 3rd, 2008 at 15:03
Red Devil if you read carefully the team and formation I selected was to be played UNTIL Ronaldo returned. The idea was to give all the strikers game time in positions that they were used to with the intention of getting a better picture what the pecking order is.
Once Ronaldo returned we’d probably play 4-2-3-1 with Berbatov spearheading the attack and Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez/Nani behind him.
I don’t agree with the Phelan appointment unless Gabriel is right and the idea is to get a solid Brit high up in the club in preparation for a foreign manager. Really though I think we will suffer without someone of Quieroz’s calibre to help with our tactics and communicate with the foreign players. We need a Latin presence in the club.
September 3rd, 2008 at 15:38
@Craig Mc: funny thing is the tall guy couldnt land a single one, I wish he was steven gerrad.
.
September 3rd, 2008 at 15:48
Many fans were saying that the cause being rooney playing shite or out of form or lacking that clinical finishing ability is due to the fact that he was playing out of position.now guys are saying tevez should play as an attacking midfielder.why cant we have 3 strikers?why do we have to convert our strikers into midfielders?.
September 3rd, 2008 at 15:58
@Craig Mc: The Offensive midfield position and central midfield position you talk about are the same thing. Tevez is the closest to playing in a ‘free’ attacking midfield position in our team right now. Andy plays central midfield.
My formation; 4-4-2:
Brown Rio Vidic Evra
Ronaldo Hargreaves Scholes Nani
Berbatov Rooney
I love tevez, but berbatov and rooney just have more about them. They have a little bit extra. It’s a shame tevez doesn’t have genuine pace. If he did, i would definitely find a place for him in my strongest eleven, but he doesn’t, so i didn’t.
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:01
Pro evolution soccer is better and much more realistic than fifa.i dont care about licences.whats the point of licences and staff if i dont enjoy the gameplay?
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:18
Pro evo is better. Fifa tried to be more realistic, but ended up being slow and frustrating to control. PES is faster and more entertaining.
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:23
pes is for students.
Also, city made a £50 mil bid for Torres. The crazy fucks.
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:26
@Sunny: when is the last time you played fifa? all that stuff you say WAS true until last year. fifa was better than pes hands down. only blind PES fanboys would defend it.
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:38
I am not a blind pes fan.i played every fifa game since 1998.whereas i only played last 3 pes releases.pes2008 is not a complete piece of work,the original piece is yet to come as pes2009.
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:48
fifa all the way.
even i hate how ea deals with us pc gamers
berba 30mil=30 goals
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:49
i played fifa08 and even though its a huge improvement,even then i didnt enjoy it as much….also the pes just introduced a new engine…the next release should feature a superior game
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:50
It is reported that shitty are going to make a 60mil berba bid in january!!! How crazy is that
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:51
@Sunny: We will see. Hopefully, cause its fun to have different options(like Fergie and Scolari, unlike Wenger and Rafa
). I enjoy playing FIFA, but I like PES too. I am more of a FIFA fan though, cause its more realistic, unpredictable and entertaining. Hopefully PES 09 is a good game so I can play the other when I get bored of the other(you get what I mean?). Its good to have options, unlike last year when FIFA 08 was the only game to play. Still, I didnt get tired of it and bored so that is why I think FIFA is better. I played 4 games on PES 08 and stopped playing. It was torture, and I WANT MY MONEY BACK! 
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:52
how much would a berba shirt cost me? any ideas?
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:53
@john freakin’ o’shea: You have Xbox 360? Or PC? Or PS2/PS3? Wii?
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:53
Oh and by the way Fifa Rules
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:55
@john freakin’ o’shea: £51.94
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:56
FIFA ALL THE WAY!!! Everyone, look at @RedDevil: comment
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:57
[AIG] = (Sir)Alex Is God
September 3rd, 2008 at 16:59
@RedDevil: i only got a high end pc and a ps2
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:00
@RedDevil: oohh £51.94, gotta save now if i want myself one of those
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:01
@Nelson Otieno: Regarding editing comments, you can do it a couple of minutes after posting a comment. After that you can’t.
2) For getting an image upload avatar read this post. Scroll down towards the end of the main article under “Announcement”.
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:04
@john freakin’ o’shea: I have to ask… Is FIFA on PS2 the same as on PC? I have Xbox and PC, but I only buy the Xbox version of games.
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:04
Fifa’s ball movement and physics are unrealistic compared to pes.last year was an improvement though.yet.technically and tactically pes is better.i was a fifa fan until i played pes.hope both games will be good as i will check out both
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:06
@john freakin’ o’shea: If you go to Manutd.com, shopping, megastore, you will find out exactly how much the kit will cost you. Cheers
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:10
@RedDevil: thanks for the info, regarding fifa on ps2 and pc yeah its absolutley the same. it was i think made for the ps2 then ported into the pc. i have this experience a couple of times now, when i see my team’s fixtures in manager mode (PC) it says “Loading PS2 Memory Card”. ea what a load of crap
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:11
Excuse me redranter. Anybody played alone in the dark?how is it?
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:15
“Loading PS2 Memory Card”. correction on that post, it was “Checking PS2 memory Card” sorry mates
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:21
@Sunny: I have to disagree with you an that one. I dont know how FIFA 08 is on PS2, Wii or PC, but on Xbox 360 and PS3 you cant see the difference between game and real world. The ball movement is natural, the players running is natural and you need to have the natural body shape to do stuff like they are supposed to. When Oshea can run at full speed across the pitch With the ball glued to his foot and 10 players not being able to take the ball away from him on proffecional difficulty, something is wrong.
Look at my comment 40 and you will see a quite good review of FIFA and PES.
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:26
i havent played pes yet, but many says pes08 is crap. better stick to what i know is best. fifa
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:27
This can be a GREAT READ !! If you havent came across it already. Greatly entertaining,may also bust some Berba myths in the process. But read it fully…
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:28
Hey this is a bit off topic, per the subject, but since we are discussing PS2 and Xbox above I figured I’d toss this out here.
One plus of Citeh getting taken over by the sheiks is that if we are to sell CR at any point in the future. The price we can get just doubled as there is another buyer in the market willing to pay in excess of 100M euros. Who knows maybe even 200M euros…Now we can tell the Real idiots to fark off unless they are willing to come to the table with a ‘real’ bid…
Thank you Al-Fahim for your public comments and willingness to pay 150 + million euros for our Portuguese winger extraordinaire. This might really turn off Real and will definitely prevent them from trying any lowball tactics…
That said I hope he stays atleast until CQ can come back and take over the club once SAF retires. Perhaps I’m dreaming though…
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:37
i still have the berba chills in me.
i’m so excited and see him play wearing “the” red kit. 
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:43
Red devil: fair play to you.i haven’t played it in ps3 or xbx360,i played in pc
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:47
This money business is getting out of hand in football specially in premier league.now even city can outbid any historic and prestigious club and lure good players.whats the point of winning league titles and champion league titles for years then?
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:47
@Kevin United: I was thinking the same actually. The balance of power has shifted considerably to our advantage. 150m price tag will scare the shit out of real, as they simply can’t afford it. Again interesting times ahead…
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:51
@Sunny: Who is this ‘Historic and prestigious club’ can you clarify?
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:57
Back to the real world, all you fantasy football managers
anyway, this may be old news, but Manucho got a work permit, so with him in the line up as well, i think we have a SICK team!
I have been a rooney fan since he pulled on the red shirt, and so i would hope he gets to play where he should, as the man behind the target man. where he used to when he played with ruud. so in any case, we have 1 Recognised striker and 1 unrecongnised but for all purposes a first team striker, 2 great forwards and a young striker in the form of welbeck. i really feel that this season, we have the most complete team.
4 first team strikers (Berba, Manucho, Rooney, Tevez)
4 first team central mids 2 Squad players who can deputise so well (Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, Hargreaves, Fletcher, O’shea)
1 almightly match winning slave and 3 first team wingers (Ronaldo, Giggs, Park, Nani)
4 stadium width walls and a club veteran (Brown, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville)
1 wall in the goalmouth, and 2 deputies (EVDS, TK, Foster)
Not to mention the young guns
Strikers (Macheda Welbeck Petrucci)
Midfielders (Possebon)
Defenders (Fabio, Rapahael, Evans)
We have so much depth to the squad, i think even chealsea would be envious. and these are quality proven players or at least really exciting prospects. i may be optimistic but with the current squad, i really AM!
i would like to see a 4 5 1 formation, gives you width, yet allows u to dominate the centre.
the defence is a given, but for the midfield, u can have Berbatov or Manucho/Welbeck(for FA cup games) being the target man, two attacking wingers, and three people in the middle. a DM, a CM and an AM
like
—–berbatov—–
———-rooney—
Nani———-Ronaldo
—scholes———–
—–Carrick—–
and OH for carrick, Ando for scholes, Park and giggs for nani and ronaldo, tevez for rooney, and manucho for berba. not to say they should start, i really dont care who starts, i beileve whoever does play will do well for the team. but my personal opinion on how I would like to see it happen
this will be a VERY interesting season…. woohoo!
September 3rd, 2008 at 17:58
what most people don’t relaise is the impact of berba. he will push the opposition defense backwards which allow scholes/carrick/anderson to get forward and pop in more goals which they could not do when rooney and tevez played as noone stretched the opposition defense. so his arrival will get more goals, not just from him but from the midfield as well. the downside however is we are left dry in the bank and (for ronaldo anywayz) multimillionaire slave will not get as many goals as last season as berba will get the most benefit from the space rooney and tevez leave as ronaldo wwould usually fill the void and get the goals he did was due to this.
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:06
R: how old are you? united,ac milan,liverpool,real madrid etc.
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:13
What the city owner said about signing the best players and making outrageous bids are very very disrespectfull to other great clubs.just imagine sir alex saying he wants to buy kaka,messi,torres,fabregas in january transfer window?how sick would it be
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:16
@Wink: i like to quote this because i think it’s brilliant
“1 almightly match winning slave and 3 first team wingers (Ronaldo, Giggs, Park, Nani)”
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:27
I think we may well have paid only 20 million for berbatov. i estimate sales from eagles, silvestre, and saha combine for 7 – 10 million
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:29
@RedAllTheWay: i completely agree with you. i wonder when ronaldo is actually going to come bakc??? anyone know!
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:35
i personally think berba is overrated. dont get me wrong, i think he will bring a new dimension to our team but there are better players out there and berba is so lazy. he should be on the bench for most of he time, only coming on as a sub but he is a good back up in case of injuries. SAF shuld have bought huntelaar as he is worth 30mill while berb isnt
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:37
@Sunny: How old i am? Why.. don’t have some one old enough to hold your pinky finger to cross the road??? Anyway you put Real in the list so i get the point.
September 3rd, 2008 at 18:42
@RedAllTheWay: oh god, your telling me, you would of rather bought huntelaar(a dutch striker, with no premier league experience), for 30 mil, where are team would have to change our style of play, back to the ruud days, instead of buying berba with premier league experience and a proven goal scorer that would fit into our team perfectly? if so, you sir, have problems.
September 3rd, 2008 at 19:01
R: lol as much as i hate real madrid and liverpool,they are the clubs with great history…please dont a start a fight
September 3rd, 2008 at 19:08
@RedAllTheWay: Completely ironic to your first comment where you’ve explained the impact of Berba and then you say that he is over rated. Huntelaar does not have the finesse of Berbatov. He can bring others into play and that is why he is important. More than anything, as you mentioned, he will stretch the opposition which means that Rooney and Tevez will get more space to operate. So they can play in the final third instead of the midfield.
September 3rd, 2008 at 19:19
@Krishnan: what i mean is that he will have a big positive impact, yes, but huntelaar in my opinion would do better for us. he can do most things that berba does but better due to the fact that he works and is not lazy or arrogant.
but who cares. berba is a man u player and will rock da prem
September 3rd, 2008 at 19:45
@Wink: “1 almightly match winning slave and 3 first team wingers”
hahahahahhaa
September 3rd, 2008 at 19:53
RedAllTheWay: Huntelaar hasn’t got the touch, vision, finesse and hold up or link up ability of Berbatov. In terms of pace it is six of one half dozen of another and Huntelaar has never been particulary well known for his work ethic. The one thing he does better is goalscoring but as an all round player he falls short of Berbatov IMO. At this point you really have to ask yourself why Huntelaar is still at Ajax and a big club hasn’t tried to prise him away.
September 3rd, 2008 at 22:21
@JB: yeah but what we need is a goalscorer. We have our finesse strikers in Roovez and Berbatov hasn’t been near prolific for Spurs. I still can’t get over that transfer fee. I mean is he worth 7m more than Torres who was something like 4 or 5 years younger than him when ‘pool bought him? I said I’ll give him a chance so I’ll reserve judgement but I don’t think I’ve ever had this bad a feeling about a transfer before
September 3rd, 2008 at 23:07
Liam: Who says we need a goalscorer? I believe there were some interesting points on the matter in a blog on the Guardian that was discussed on here a while ago. IMO the old fashioned goalscorer is a relic of the past, all round ability is now the order of the day.
On the price, fair point but a transfer is often not a fair reflection of a players ability. It is warped by a huge number of factors. For example Berbatov’s fee was probably inflated by United tax, the fact it was a transaction between English clubs, our desperation for a striker and Levy’s stubborn stance on the matter.
September 3rd, 2008 at 23:11
@Liam: Berba does not linger in the midfield… He actually gets into the box when required. The problem that we had before now is that there was no one to stretch the opposition defense and Rooney and Tevez had to find their own spaces, which also meant that they were always surrounded by players. Berbatov will push the defenders back which means that Rooney and Tevez can attack. He also is a better finisher than Rooney and Tevez. I believe that we can play the way we did in the beginning of the 06-07 season, when Saha was fit.
September 3rd, 2008 at 23:41
i was bound to coin a phrase someday
but i honestly cant make up my mind about him, he is so good, yet so bad(off the pitch)… i’ll save my ill feelings till he doesnt pull on manchester red anymore
still feeling the excitement, waiting for the 13th to come so we can see how berbatov affects our team.
most of the people who are happy at the berbatransfer would be feeling an excited feeling right now right? THIS should have been the way we should have felt durring the summer. hopefully this elation last for the entire season to make up for the hurt we felt eh?
September 4th, 2008 at 0:38
Alas! I return from the African Jungle. Hi all! I’ve had a great summer none of the worries and constant refreshing. However I will get back on that old soap box again.I hope last season’s luck holds. IS THERE NO ONE WORRIED ABOUT THE LACK OF Adequate DEFENSIVE COVER?! We have essentially three center backs and one fullbacks. The rest are kids (and Neville) WHy didn’t we release Neville and keep Pique? But I was saying this all last year. Let’s hope our solid two remain fit eh?
September 4th, 2008 at 1:15
@Liam: Echoed my thoughts too…Good player, awesome that we got him, but like i said yesterday, i just can’t shake the feeling we’re all in for a huge disappointment, cus its unreal the way he’s been overrated by our fans. PLLLLEAAASSEEEE prove me wrong Berba! The price is ridiculous too, but i understand that we had to up our bid so Citeh wouldn’t get him. And about selling Ronaldo, no offence, but I’d rather sell him to Real than to City(or another English team)…yes even after all they’ve done
Gutted:(….Murray just beat Del-Potro…oh well he’ll surely get knocked out in the semis now. Still sad though, can’t stand Murray
September 4th, 2008 at 1:32
I think post number 69 by Scoop gets things totally spot on. If we are to play 4-4-2 and IF Berba comes in and is the reincarnation of Cantona as everyone on here has pretty much already decided he will be, then CARLOS TEVEZ should be the second striker in the hole, and yes, rooney should be on the bench. Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t been watching the games we’ve had so far. I think Carlos could have been named man of the match in almost all of them.
I’m not bashing Wayne, and I really hope he uses this as some motivation to get himself fit, because frankly right now he just looks heavy, and as someone said earlier, he’s about two pies away from being flat out fat. And I think its affecting his play in a very bad manner. He has just lost that little bit of pace and explosiveness that in the past allowed him to make up for it if he has a slightly poor first touch. Now, its just not there and he is punished for any mistake and in my own opinion, he loses possession far too easily and far far too often.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:16
i want CQ to be the successor of saf
September 4th, 2008 at 4:28
i think after this season, the golden oldies of neville, giggsy and scholsey must hang their boots..
they must move on maybe into coaching.. this way we would have a better rotation line-up. the sad part is the experience they got is a huge loss on and off the pitch..
September 4th, 2008 at 4:29
Berbatov was a Fergie target for a long time and hence he would start for United. I feel Tevez should be partnered with Berbatov until Rooney improves his form. But some people say Fergie will play both Rooney and Tevez as supporting strikers or Tevez as a winger. God knows what Fergie has in mind. But I’m sure he has a solid plan as always, and that’s the reason why he wanted Berbatov at any cost.
@RR: I follow your rants using RSS rather than visiting the site, and I’m seeing that changes have been made in the appearance of the site. It looks better now, though earlier I felt it was so good that no improvement was possible. Getting better never stops, right?
September 4th, 2008 at 8:34
@Roge: I think, you’re hoping for better business for Eagles, Silvestre and Saha than what we got.
Eagles was sold for about £1,5 mil
Silvestre was sold for about £0,75 mil
And Saha was free
so it’s actually more about £2,25 mil making the Berba deal about £23,5 mil, if you subtract the money we got from Pique as well
September 4th, 2008 at 8:42
Abu:
LB: Evra, O’Shea, Evans
CB: Rio, Vidic, Brown, Evans, O’Shea (if desperate)
RB: Brown, Neville, Hargreaves
That seems like enough cover to me.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:46
On another note – the takeover of Man. City:
Their new arab investor doesn’t know the world of football, if he thinks, he can make City the greatest club in the world. Fact is that money doesn’t make you so, and he’s thoroughly naive to think so. The true legendary clubs are built over many decades, and so City are from there – and they never will be. They may, like Chelsea who will also never be a true great, have a few years of glory due to their big spending investors, but that simply won’t make them great.
And you can mark my words: any really big player coming to City from now on will only have done so for the big paycheck, and it simply won’t last. In January and, especially next summer, you’ll get to see City turned down, not by clubs but by players, who don’t rate City. Some clubs will laugh off these mega offers (like one coming in for Ronaldo), but some will accept. What will hit City is the reality that the truly great players won’t even consider making the shift, because they know, where the true and legendary class is (MU, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter, AC Milan, Juventus). Just look at Berbatov, who had offers from both Chelsea and City, but he never considered them. Could anyone honestly see Ronaldo making the move to City to a club of much lesser stature?
A player like Robinho is second rate. He’s a player with quite a solid talent, who just hasn’t made it yet. Therefore he accepted the offer. His type of player and quality are a dime a dusin out there, and I don’t consider that “swoop” even close to spectacular – talk about a club paying over the odds, you should talk about City, since they’ve bought a fragile little merchenary that’s now getting trash talked by every former great Brazilian player, because he moved to get paid.
It’s got nothing to do with class, and only classy clubs can reach a status of truly great.
Chelsea will be forgotten in 10 years, and so will City (if they ever make it up there).
September 4th, 2008 at 9:23
@colver: You forget the twins. I’m seriously looking forward to seem them play a part this season, not just 5min appearances. They are genuine class.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:28
@Tomas: Don’t take City too lightly. Money can help you to an extent, just look at Chelsea for example. In a sense it excites me cos we’re gonna have that much more competition and better players in the league. On the other hand, it’s gonna make our Manchester derbies (and hence 6 points) more difficult. Who knows, in a few years (if City really become that good) we may have a Spain-like situation here in England, where you have the El Classico two times each year. Who knows?
September 4th, 2008 at 10:02
@antsBoy: My point is that Chelsea is very far from being one of the great clubs despite all their money, and their brief succes – there’s much more at stake in football than 2 quick trophies.
Neither Chelsea nor City have any noticable history, and as such they’d have to be succesful over the course of many years to be a truly great club. And by then, Man Utd. will be even greater.
Money can’t buy class – that’s my point.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:10
Ideally, we should be playing Berba, Rooney and Carlos. However, realistically, even if it might hurt many fans and rooney himself, i think rooney should be on the bench and tevez should be behind berba.
VDS
Raphael/Brown, Vidic, Rio, Evra (Neville is old and slow)
Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Scholes, Nani
Tevez, Berbatov.
- Neville is too slow as we saw in the Zenit game.
- ROoney can come on for Scholes second half depending on the opposition and the game position
- Injuries we have cover upfront with Rooney, in midfield with park, giggs, anderson and at the back with brown,neville, raphael, JOS, Fabio
We should probably look at selling a couple of players in Jan and then buying some young guns next summer.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:25
What about:
EDVS
Hargreaves — Rio — Vidic — Evra
Carrick — Scholes/And
Rooney — Tevez — CR7
Berba
September 4th, 2008 at 11:36
Hey, good morning to you all! I dont know what I should post as news since its all been said. Berba is good, I expect that team, we sold bad, bought good….The only thing I can say is that Gallagher is a cunt! He says that he is really happy(duh!) since he knows that every money United fans use on gas is going to the pocket of Manchester shitty. Cunt!
He really has prblems that fella…. Well, yesterday one of the main talks was which was best of FIFA and PES. Well, I think FIFA is best and I wonder if anyone would like to play me on Xbox Live, if you have. Just tell me if you want to, I will be ready anytime. 
September 4th, 2008 at 12:25
@Tomas: Alright, agreed – we know that money can’t buy class let alone heritage. But is that we should worry about now? I’m more concerned if money can buy success..cos in a way it can – just ask Arsenal cos they’re an example of the opposite
. It’s been 5 yrs since Chelsea got “rich”, and people definitely look at them in different light now..the same can happen to City. There’s no doubt we’ve increased our spending too in the last 5 yrs..the reason is the same: to continue to be succesful.
September 4th, 2008 at 13:09
Sorry that I am off topic. If Manucho qualifies automatically for a work permit, does it mean that someone made a mistake in Jan when we first signed him and applied for a work permit or we even did not bother to apply for one???
September 4th, 2008 at 13:10
Surely SAF will pick the best formation to counter strength and weakness of different opponents for different competitions. I am just glad that we have great coverage now on every single position which allows us to pick a defensive or attacking side. It will take some time for the new team to glue, but if Berbatov / Manucho can find some sparks playing along Tevez / Ronney / Ronaldo and others then it will definitely be something that we should all look forward to. Good luck to us all!
September 4th, 2008 at 13:13
money can buy instant success, but it can’t buy GLORY
September 4th, 2008 at 13:30
@john freakin’ o’shea: Going back to your previous pont, why would you want a guy who has walked out of the club twice to manage us? also has no proven managerial experience.
September 4th, 2008 at 13:47
@allmanunited: I always assumed that united had some fantastic legal team (their lawyer is some bigshot) but it looks like they missed some legal loophole. it would be quite annoying if we find out that he could’ve played all along.
September 4th, 2008 at 14:23
@Stephen: because i dont see any other candidates
September 4th, 2008 at 14:27
@john freakin’ o’shea: Not sure about that one mate!
September 4th, 2008 at 14:47
So have had a long think about formations, given our now rather stacked team of talent, and have two conclusions:
Team 1 – For relatively crap opponents/teams we can force to not commit to attacks:
4-2-3-1
———–VDS————-
-Wes-Rio-Vidic-Pat—
—–Carrick-Scholes—
-Ronaldo-Roon-Tevez-
———-Berba———–
With Park, Giggs and Nani able to switch with the 3, and Hargo, Ando and Fletch able to switch with the middle 2.
The advantages to this are that it will force the opponents to play at least 2 DMFs to prevent the front 4 from breaking. Tevez and Ronaldo would have to make a real effort to hug the touchlines to avoid the last third getting bunched, but the sheer ability of those 4 makes it a mouth-watering possibility.
The disadvantage is a real lack of width, and more importantly, a lack of defensive cover on the wings. Ronaldo never tracks back, and it’s a waste for Tevez to, so the idea would be Scholes/Carrick moves out of the middle to backup Evra/Wes as needed. Again, this will ONLY work with teams that don’t commit numbers forward, or else we’ll be overrun on the sides.
For good teams/tough away fixtures:
4-3-3
————-VDS————-
-Wes—Rio-Vida—Pat-
————Carrick——–
——Scholes-Hargo—-
–Ronaldo——-Rooney-
————Berba————
With a view to use Tevez/Nani etc as 60th minute changes.
The advantage of this formation is that it allows the front 3 to focus almost exclusively on their attacking/outlet responsiblities, and not track back. With Hargo and Scholes harrying any attacking midfield opponents, and moving out wide to support the full backs with Carrick offering presence in the middle, we can leave either Rooney or Berba in the centre circle when defending, and have the other two front men ready to make runs in behind. Few teams would risk sending much of their squad forward with those 3 waiting on the break. It should also allow us quickly switch to a 4-4-2 with Hargo/sub moving to the side of midfield.
Regardless, with both of these formations, Evra won’t have as much licence to get forward, which seems a waste. A natural 4-4-2 might be preferred because of this, especially if Rafael forces his way in. But our strength in attack is really our forwards, not our full backs.
September 4th, 2008 at 14:50
I personally think we should have one sydtem and one system only, call me boring!
September 4th, 2008 at 15:00
RE the Man City threat.
The only real precedent in the English game is Chelsea.
They were already a top six team and had achieved success in the domestic cups. They started off with players of world class potential such as Lampard and Terry and a world class player in the form of Gallas, and an extremely consistent, underrated player in Gudjonsen. That gave them a solid backbone. They then added some very good young British players such as Joe Cole, Damien Duff, Glen Johnson. Wayne Bridge; and pulled off some major coups such as Essien, Robben, Drogba, Cech etc.
Now the reasons I do not see Man City replicating this success are:
a) There is no young British talent to buy
b) They do not have European football to offer straightaway which makes it hard to attract the best players
c) The Premier League is a lot more competitive than it used to be
d) Their team is full of promising youngsters that none of the big clubs in Europe would touch, most likely because they do not have what it takes to become world class. The only exceptions are Richards and Robinho.
e) Hughes is a good manager but I am not sure how equipped he is to deal with the sort of multinational squad City want to assemble (refer to point a)
f) The owners seem to be in control and do not have a clue about football. Chelsea succeeded by entering bidding wars with the best clubs in the world and winning by offering more money to the club and the player. That is a smart way to do things. Man City seem to be just bidding for established players at top clubs. These clubs won’t let the players go and the players are over-paid enough not to have their heads turned by the prospect of extra money. As a result Man City will most likely start buying fading galacticos and we’ve seen how that goes down
September 4th, 2008 at 16:03
RE: The Man city take over:
The season Ranieri left Chelsea, they finished fourth and qualified for the Champions league, and Mourinho took over. So when they bought players that year they had the money as well as European football to lure the players. Besides, Mourinho bought only those who would fit into his system. He didn’t go and bid for all the top players in the top teams.
City on the other hand are trying to bring all the top players from other teams. The owner was quoted as saying that they are looking for atleast 18 top players including Ronaldo, Torres and Fabregas. Hughes has never had experience of managing bigger egos and you don’t know how these stars would fit into the team, if they come. Things might get interesting if City are in contention for a Champions league spot, come January. Then players might get turned on at the possibility of big money as well as European football.
September 4th, 2008 at 16:06
Its more than a week away, but I’m already so f’ing nervous about the Dippers. We’ve all built it up in our mind that its going to be cake and we’ll walk out of there 5-0 winners….but man….all too often shit just doesn’t work out that way in life.
I really think we are all in for a massive disappointment. Seriously, why do people think its going to magically click and everything will be perfect? Berba will have what, maybe one or two training sessions at the maximum with his new teammates because of the stupid f’ing break. I’ll just go ahead and predict a boring, 0-0 draw because Rafa will put out a very defensive lineup with both Masch and Alonso in the CM and they will have all 11 men behind the ball working their nuts off to defend and stop us. I hope I’m wrong…
September 4th, 2008 at 16:35
4-2-3-1…Berbatov as the one..Rooney in the middle of the 3 behind him, flanked by Ronaldo and Tevez, Manucho on the bench
September 4th, 2008 at 16:40
@Drew Vader: Gerrard will probably make a ‘miraculous’ recovery. We should be confident enough to beat them. I think Berba may start on the bench in favour of Roovez
September 4th, 2008 at 16:57
man utd will defo beat liverpool 3/4-0 if both torres and gerrard are injured and rio is fit. we will probz only beat them 1 or 2 nil if this isnt the case.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:10
@RedAllTheWay: why? because Gerrard and Torres are fantastic defensively? I predict we scape a 1-0 win (maybe 2) in a scrappy game.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:15
@benjd: lol, good spot mate! Don’t see how we would score more goals with the opposing team fielding less attacking players!! Drew Vader is on to something, Fat Rafa might field a very defensive formation and we would have to break down 2 lines of 4!!!
September 4th, 2008 at 17:29
@Gabriel: I think that would suit us because we are used to it. We also have an additional option up front who can meet Nani and Giggs’ crosses. Riera would probably start for them on the left, which means that the field would spread and they can’t be playing in the middle all the time.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:42
Any news on Hargo’s injury? If Hargo is fit to play against the scouse, this formation will be killer:
————-EVDS————–
——–USUAL BACK FOUR——–
—Scholes—Hargo—Anderson–
——-Rooney—-Tevez———
———-Berbatov————-
We can bring on Nani for Scholesy if we need an attacking option…Otherwise, to me this side looks balanced, not too attacking because of 3 midfielders (including 1 defensive mid) and with sufficient firepower upfront.
So, what about Hargo’s injury? And what do you guys think about the formation?
September 4th, 2008 at 17:45
Krishnan,come down to earth man
, NO way will Mr Arabia get all the 18 top players he is after. Some players are already distancing themselves from City and their Arabian Knights. Even if he does, they can only play 11 players at any given time, and parking the very top stars on the bench, I don’t think so. There will be mutiny. The only way they will get Ronnie, is when his contract is up, I think Fergie already made that clear through the whole Real M situation. Course there will always be the Robinho’s who will sell their souls for filthy lucre. We have found another jewel in Berbatov, who turned down money to play for our red shirt. He is already talking about this being the last club of his career, and he doesn’t even know if he will coom good for us or not yet 
. Love him to score at L’fool if Fergie picks him. Needs to do what Robbie Keane couldn’t do with the dippers, and score first time out for us. How sweet would that be?.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:51
By the way, I might have to think again about my comments in the other post re Ronnie, because I hear City are to offer him a Harem of finest ladies. We all know how active Ronnie is down in his ‘nether’ regions where the ladies are concerned
.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:53
@Craig Mc: And a year supply of suntan lotion.
September 4th, 2008 at 17:59
@Gabriel: @benjd: Ever heard of the phrase ‘the best form of defence is attack’ …Lol without Liverpool’s attacking duo it’s gonna be difficult for them to attack…but somebodies gotta do it. Most likely …us!!! Lol that said I also think we would win 1-0
September 4th, 2008 at 18:05
Ronaldo wont go to City if it was up to him and hopefully he will change his mind on his dream move to Madrid.
And in my opinion Tevez should be our starter and Rooney should be on the bench, I love Rooney a lot, hes my favorite player but choosing our starting line up shouldnt depend on emotions but on merit.
And PES is better than FIFA.
September 4th, 2008 at 18:06
Stephen, good thinking mate, you got that right
.
September 4th, 2008 at 18:10
@Craig Mc: Mate, I know thats impossible. That is why I said that their situation is different to the one Chelsea was in 5 years back. These Arabs are planning to build some sort of an all star team. Someone’s gotta put sense into them…
However, imagine this, come January if City are in contention for 4th place, don’t you think players would get turned on at the possibility of big earnings (like Robinho) and also a chance of playing in the Champions League..
Robinho’s wages were lesser than Drenthe’s at Madrid. Now he’s the highest earning footballer in the Premier league… No wonder he signed without even looking at who asked for it….
September 4th, 2008 at 19:34
@Krishnan: thats true. but i highly doubt man city will be 4th. they only have robinho, who has failed to reach his potential, SWP, who couldnt make the chelsea XI, elano, good player but would struggle to get into manutd or chelsea XI but could probz get into ‘pools and arsenals and petrov who is not as good as elano. top six finish is likely for man city. who said the prem was getting too predictable or boring
the premiership is really hotting up with only the top four spots being guarnteed. the rest of the top ten could be a surprise with everton doing a tottenham or a bolton lol 
September 4th, 2008 at 19:38
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4095142,00.html
if this is true then i’m gonna be over the moon!!
September 4th, 2008 at 19:38
Krishnan, I’m sure there are top players who are motivated by the bundles of dosh on offer, but most of them are on LONG contracts. I cannot see clubs releasing top players during the SHORT January transfer window. If they cave in to the Robinho type tactics, screaming and crying, going to the media and make huge public statements, and threatening to quit football if they didn’t let him go, then maybe. But I think Real M should have called his bluff, because no way would he who loves Money – Robinho have quit soccer. Real were threatened though fearing the loss of 40+ million euros. Money, Money, MOney. I do think we have some things to be thankful for with Ronnie, who refused to ask for transfer or leave in our bad books. Also Berba never has slandered Spurs, although they vilified him. So yeah, I’m HAPPY
.
September 4th, 2008 at 20:00
Robinho’s only aim was leaving RM. I dont think it mattered much to him whether its Chelsea or any other club. That came second. He wanted to leave coz of PRIDE. And i Appreciate that. They never wanted him after they were sure of landing Ronaldo. RObinho has shown great courage in coming out and being honest that he has enough pride to leave a club which did not want him in the first place and now want him just coz they couldnt land a certain player. He walked away rightfully and it should be appreciated. why he chose mancity over chelsea can be either a matter of money OR Real told him they would let him go if he went to City and not Chealsea. HE basically wanted OUT! and lets appreciate him for taking a tough open honest stance
September 4th, 2008 at 20:19
@RedAllTheWay: I think you may be underrating City’s current team. Robinho and SWP aren’t the only good players they have bought this Summer. Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Jo are all good players with great potential. They also bought Tal Ben Haim so adding Richards, Elano,Dunne and Petrov. They have as good a first Team as ‘pool or Arsenal if Sparky can get these players to gel. That is a big if though
September 4th, 2008 at 20:22
@Godzilla: true true man… All these people – Pele and co. – talk rubbish and condemn the boy’s behaviour, but what about Real Madrid’s part in all this? They apparently offered him as a make-weight for Ronaldo, and even if this was not true, they never re-assured the lad or made any gesture representing their desire to keep him. If that wasn’t enough, he was then refused to go represent his country in the olympics by Real!!
The club showed a huge disregard for the boy, also refused to offer him a new contract (he was earning less than Drenthe!) and since they apparently didn’t have any strong desire to keep him, why should he show any desire to stay where he is considered dispensable?
Give the lad a break, he just wanted out of that hell-hole of lies and deceit called Real Madrid and when Peter ‘Money-grabbing Cunt’ Kenyon fecked it up at the last minute, he went with his only other option, Man Shitty.
No doubt he would have loved to be with Scolari and Chelsea, but you could see in his actions and mannerisms all thru the summer that Real were no more in his thoughts after the way he was treated by them.
At least, Real madrid are being shown up for what they truly are. After all their underhanded tactics, the fake lure they present to these players, it’s good to see a player finally expose them.
September 4th, 2008 at 20:36
Chelsea should be thankful. Robinho is EMO.
September 4th, 2008 at 20:40
Consider the fact that we have so many attackers that there’s no need for overlapping fullbacks…we have three solid center-backs Check this out: 3-4-3
__________VDS_____________
Brown____Ferdinand______Vidic
Ronaldo_Anderson_Carrick__Evra
_____Tevez_Berbatov_Rooney
Scholes/Park/Fletcher/Possebon subs Anderson/Carrick/Ronaldo
Nani/Giggs for Evra
O’Shea, raphael, Neville sub the back three
Manuchu subs the strikers
September 4th, 2008 at 20:41
Let’s hope that he is not our next Veron…
If we “don’t use him as a Veron” that’s the player we want…..
I mean so much anticipation,so much patience…..Now we want to see him throwing fires using his hands……
But it’s time to be even more patient…..
Happy to see him in our team us we have a totally different player that was missing from our squad
September 4th, 2008 at 21:17
@Craig Mc: No what I meant was if they remain in contention, then they can probably get a few good players in January so that they can really get into the Champions league. Then it’ll be fun, come July, when the window opens.
September 4th, 2008 at 21:18
TO Grognard!
But now my happiness is over the moon! You wanted Huntelaar! We got Berba! 
Where’d You Go?
I miss you so! Seems like its been forever! That you’ve been gone! Miss your doom and gloom!
September 4th, 2008 at 21:18
Though
If berba doesn’t score at least 14 in the EPL and 22 in the whole season he is a total failure……I don’t care for any other part of his game cause that’s why we bought him……
“He’ll bring a bit of composure to our attack”
“He’ll be a good focus for the team in terms of points of attack.
That’s what the greatest manager of the last two decades said and I hope that’s the case for Berba……
September 4th, 2008 at 21:19
A nice perspective on the Robinho transfer. Good article.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/09/02/even_for_citys_new_owners_sign.html
September 4th, 2008 at 21:27
Yo! Guys! The Geordie Messiah Quits!
Can it get any better?
HAHAHAHAHA!
Those Barcodes! While we will rule the world again! Those iditos look for a new manager!
September 4th, 2008 at 21:58
link for the quit?
September 4th, 2008 at 22:00
@NiKOS: dude
its everyhere
September 4th, 2008 at 22:01
@NiKOS: Its all over the news. go to guardian.co.uk
September 4th, 2008 at 22:26
u meant keegan? that’s not fresh…..only official
September 4th, 2008 at 22:34
brown-Rio—Vidic-Evra
Carrick—Andy
—–CR7——
Rooney—Tevez
Berba
letting roo tev & cr do a rotating triangle attack like the lakers
September 4th, 2008 at 23:09
@Krishnan: Good article indeed Krishnan, thanks. Feel a bit sorry for the boy after reading that.
If the situation at Bernabeu was indeed like what was written, then I can understand Robinho’s wish to leabe, even for a lesser club like shitty.
It seems the board at Real and the socios are not as supportive to players like I know English teams can be. Anyhow Robino will have Jo and Elano(?) at shitty so perhaps he’ll integrate better.
For our own sake though, lets hope not!
September 4th, 2008 at 23:09
A bit off topic but I just posted that on manunitedyouth and i’s like your take on the Campbell situation; copy-paste, here it is:
I thought it was quite dumb from the part of the Manchester board to tell that they weren’t looking to sell Campbell. It would have been ok if the felt that they should not sell him, but effectively telling out loud that they think Campbell has a future at OT means Spurs would be reluctant to play him and perhaps see him develop when they know full well that if the boy is a success, United are not likely to sell…
And we all know how good our transfer dealings and relationship with spurs have been recently!
No truly i felt he would have got a much better chance to develop at Hull, Wigan, or lower tier teams as they for one , would not turn a blind eye if talented players were available, even if on loan..
I any case, I wish him all the best!
September 4th, 2008 at 23:38
Robinho wasn’t nurtured at Real the way Ronaldo was at Manchester United. Sure he is a primadonna and a crybaby. But OUR primadonna and crybaby is now the best player in the world. I doubt that would have happened if he had moved from Sporting to Real and he should never forget that.
Hopefully Robinho and Ronaldo will bump into each other in Manchester, strike up a friendship, and Robinho will poison his mind against Real and Ronaldo will stay with us indefinitely.
September 4th, 2008 at 23:43
@Nico QB: the fact that they accepted a loan deal indicates some kind of shortage in that department. they may not play him by choice but the idea of a loan is to find a short term replacement who will necessarily play because of said shortage.
if anything, it’ll do campbell some good to play with a half decent team and one that is marginally closer to united (in terms of quality). the boy’s been developing for ages, he just needs fine tuning and spurs need a striker no matter how coarse he may be.
September 5th, 2008 at 0:23
@Nico QB: The thing is, Spurs don’t have many strikers. They’ve only got Pavlyuchenko, Bent and Campbell. No matter what happens, Campbell is going to get games. OK, if they play 4-5-1 his opportunities may be more limited but I still see him getting plenty of opportunities and sub appearances, something he would not be getting here. I’m glad he went to Spurs. A decent attacking side who will create chances for him, just like as if he was at United. If he was at Hull or some other relegation fodder he’d be feeding off scraps and having to play defensive, which doesn’t really give us any idea how he’d do at United. Spurs also have a busy schedule with the Uefa Cup so I envisage him getting plenty of chances when people need rested.
September 5th, 2008 at 3:22
@RedAddict: I can agree with your point of view and that of abood89.
But my view is that he would start nearly every match at Hull or Wigan, the same way Richardson started all matches at West brom when he was fit. And I remember that Richardson did rather well. On the other hand, sometimes players can barely make a mark on a game in just 10-20 min, if indeed Campbell was to act as a sub. Just my personal view that he would definitely get more out of starting most games at a lower team than being 4th choice down the pecking order at Spurs.
My point in the end was that the people at Spurs if given the choice between developing Bent or Campbell, hey will always go for Bent as he’s their player, while they know that Campbell will always return to OT. What I don’t want is another fruitless loan period just like the one Rossi had at Newcastle, despite the fact that the barcodes had a few donkies up front at the time and could have used the skill of Joe Red, as he’s confirmed at Villareal…
September 5th, 2008 at 4:05
@Viz: be clear, and make no mistake about it. Torres AND gerrard will be fit fir the united clash.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:36
@johnsom33: torres tore his hamstring, he wont be ready for the united clash at all.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:12
ARE THEY FRIGGING KIDDING ME? Would you even call that City blue? Looks like they are trying everything to maken it sound like Ronaldo is facinga wrath with Fergie. Cunts….
September 5th, 2008 at 9:15
Eh, if you guys wanna have the demo for FIFA 09 it comes out september 11th. Where have I heard that date before….
September 5th, 2008 at 11:40
Soooo….where is everyone?
Am I the last man on earth or what? 
I feel lonely… 
September 5th, 2008 at 11:43
@Red Ranter:
Hey Red Ranter I put a question to you about what you thought would be the best setup with Berb back at point 70.
You put the question to us now we put the question to you.
What would you do with the holy trinity strike force we have now and how would you set the team up?
September 5th, 2008 at 12:16
@RedDevil: everyone has nothing left to say on the issue and just wants to see some bloody action instead of f****** international week.
sorry about that
the 13th can’t come fast enough
September 5th, 2008 at 13:02
Scoop, do not ask Red Ranter that question PLEASE. Because knowing his mindset, he will leave out my favourite Little Man Nani, and Ronnie, until he feels Ronnie has proved some kind of worthiness
. There are obviously going to be some, who will not give Ronnie total support again, until they see how he responds to not being loved anymore. RR did say he is one of those who will reserve his judgement etc until after Ronnie has proved his worth again. Can’t say they are particularly wrong in their stance. However the lad is practically begging for support and love again, and I am one who doesn’t like to kick someone for too long. NO Gabriel and Liam my mates, Not even the Roon. Once the season gets going, I am on the terraces, live and forget in my heart 
.
September 5th, 2008 at 13:08
So, how many of you will be singing and chanting for Ronnie at any point during the season, IF as he says, he will be playing his arse off in the United cause?.
September 5th, 2008 at 13:32
@RedDevil: dont read those trash mate, they dont have a decent story, they just want to sell their damn papers
September 5th, 2008 at 13:37
@Craig Mc: till’ he says “f*ck off madrid, united is my home.”
September 5th, 2008 at 13:51
@Craig Mc:
The question has to be asked of Red Ranter mate. It’ll be disappointing if he doesnt give his pennies worth on the whole situation.
“However, Fergie must not play Rooney out wide now that we have our man. I say this for the sake of Rooney’s future.”
Thats a big statement rants one which I agree with he’s wasted out left and playing off Berb hopefully will bring out the best of him. So what of Tevez then play him on the left which IMO is a waste as well especially with Tevez’s present form. Like I said I don’t think you can play them both with Berb.
Nani left Ronaldo right who’s the two in the middle?
C’mon rants don’t let us down what do you think?
One needs dropped but who??
@Craig Mc:
“I am on the terraces, live and forget in my heart”
On Ronaldo I can’t wait for him to come back and Ill cheer him on when he plays well, nice bit of skill, scores or whatever but my heart truly won’t be in it for him anymore. He wants to be playing somewhere else, his heart no matter what he says isnt truly at Utd.
Can’t live and forget for me there’s too much water under the bridge.
Not going to be a boo boy though.
@RedDevil:
That is a really trashy artcile but it is interesting as the CR7 brand will be no more when he moves to Real. Wonder how he’ll feel about that?
September 5th, 2008 at 14:12
I have this wierd feeling that Ronaldo will never leave United.
I think Fergie/CQ when Fergie retires(God forbid 
) will manage to make Ronaldo understand that United is the bgest club in the world and that Real are just a piece of shit. I think we can manage to make up Ronaldos mind if we behave good to him, I will forget this summer and think of what he did last season and hopefully I can sign his anem at Old Trafford again. He is the best player in the world and if he starts behaving well and stops talking fantasy, then we might see a legend in the making. I just hope that people will not boo him, but sing his name and apreciate the good things he does for this club and this wonderful team. Everybody knows how frustrated I got because of him this summer, but if Ronaldo really does well in the red shirt and, like he says, gives 100% for this club, I will forgive him. When I am at the Bolton game in the end of September, and Ronaldo plays I will hope that everyone is like me and doesnt boo him. If anyone does I will tell them to f*** off!! He is a United player, the best player in the world, and a big part of this team. As long as he wears red with pride, he will forever have a place in my heart.
September 5th, 2008 at 14:12
@RedDevil: read that shite article, and it hit me.. credible journalism is DEAD!! Seriously, how can that writer work up the nerve to take this piece of shite to his editor, saying ‘That’s my bit boss’ and the boss in turn, confidently approves it for the paper? I mean, WTF? Is there no integrity, truth or positive ingenuity in journalism anymore? Everyone seems to be doing it, and it’s drivin me nuts!!
Another thing they purposedly failed to identify was the true colour of the car, it’s not city blue or sky blue, but pure blue!! That’s the color of our third kit!! Why didn’t they publish that FACT, instead they decided to create hysteria and anamosity!! Seriously, journalism is going down a slippery slope, and I won’t be sad for it’s demise…
September 5th, 2008 at 15:02
When Fergie retires it will give Ronaldo an easy out in my view, ” I am disillusioned about the club”" blah, blah.
What he did is unforgiveable this summer, but he is a good player no doubts and we are better off with him as a player, but as a human being the jury is well and truly out.
September 5th, 2008 at 15:20
What i think should happen.
————VDS————-
Brown—-Rio—-Vida—-Evra
–Fletch–Andy–Nani—
–Carlitos–
–Roon–Berbatov
September 5th, 2008 at 15:30
Make up a good chant, win a prize! Competition.
September 5th, 2008 at 15:57
This is when Ronaldo got injured. Since Grognard isnt here it is safe to say that the Gemran guy is a cunt!
September 5th, 2008 at 16:47
Hey people. I am RedDevil, but I have a new email adress so I have to change the name. I am the same person, just a different name(on this page). So okey, Ive said that now. Cheers.
September 5th, 2008 at 16:55
@Stephen: i highly doubt that he will say that. he will probz say that “i said before that my dream move would be to go to r.madrid and SAF had persuaded me to stay. but with new times i think this is the best path for me and this is the right choice for me and for my future.” but if CQ comes back he will probz stay!
September 5th, 2008 at 17:03
@Craig Mc: At the start of Summer Ronnie was giving everyone the run around, you know staying one day leaving the next and I just got sick of it and decided to basically be ignorant to the prick of a man that he is and just support him on the field. It saves a lot of grief
September 5th, 2008 at 18:07
if i may ask, why is grognard not present in redrants anymore?
September 5th, 2008 at 18:35
Torres Club record
294 games 125 goals Ratio 0.42 goals per game
Berbatov Club record.
334 games 173 goals Ratio 0.51 goals per game
so Berbatov gets the nod there.
this is from 606 btw.
September 5th, 2008 at 18:37
@RedDevil: at first i thought he dived, but ow!
September 5th, 2008 at 18:43
@john freakin’ o’shea: From the official word of RR, Grog is having a well earn break
September 5th, 2008 at 19:03
@dan(u-ol): It looks really painful, I know. But at that time I really felt that he deserved it. I dont now though…
September 5th, 2008 at 19:04
@john freakin’ o’shea: who cares ?
September 5th, 2008 at 19:18
@Traverse: Many people seem to care since Grognard is the most known person here at RedRants after RedRanter, Dan, JB and me.
He comes up with his own articles you may say, which is interesting and since he always seems to make a really intriguin discussion out of nothing. At times like today when its really quiet, he can make us post 100 comments just based on some facts like, lets say, that Ronaldo will give everything for United when he returns. He has the “extra” that makes us joyful at times, but he can really be a pain in the arse sometimes. Actually most times, but lets not get into that. 
He is a fun guy that everyone misses. At least it seems so since I hear at least one comment a day that says: “Where is Grognard?”
Do you guys think he may just be on holidays or sumthing. Maybe hes in Russia?
September 5th, 2008 at 19:19
BTW, did I spell intriguin right?
September 5th, 2008 at 20:14
i think its spelled intriguing but i might be wrong. Your completely right though, about grognard, the chances are he is either away, or his back again(
), He makes debates with his controversy, that why he is so popular on the site, he’ll make a controversial comment/article, then we will debate whether its/he is wrong or not.
September 5th, 2008 at 20:24
Dan
this is the actual Berba stat (wiki)
363 games and 173 goals so the ratio is 0.47
- yea he still gets the nod but …
Torres in only 24 and L.Pool got him for only 27m
September 5th, 2008 at 20:28
@samphraim: why would you include stats from when he was a teenager?
September 5th, 2008 at 20:29
red devil: I agree wid you mate really miss Groggy…Hope our pal’s back
in time for the l’pool game….Where is RR and why aren’t there any new posts ….Has RR gone on vacation too….Damn these intl breaks are bloody boring…
September 5th, 2008 at 20:32
BTW:
league stats
274 120
domestic cup
37 25
europe
52 28
however you put it, berbatov is prolific. Also, berbatov is the best international striker in the world FACT, he has the best goals to game ratio in the world!
September 5th, 2008 at 20:33
@maroon 14: dont expect a new post until monday at the earliest, RR stopped the weekend posts when he developed a life
September 5th, 2008 at 20:59
@dan(u-ol): I hate it when people get a life. I feel so left out.
September 5th, 2008 at 21:24
@dan(u-ol): Thats right, he might have that back problem. But still, 1 months without even toughin a computer seems too long to be just a back problem. I think he is just on vacation. Come to think of it, I havent heard from him since the plane crash in Madrid. Hopefully he wasnt involved in it, or his girlfriend that he talked so, so, so much about when it was about Ronaldo.
If you read the Grognard, I hope you are okey! Everybody at RedRants want to tell you that we miss you and hope that you come back. You have had a great impact on me during my time here at RedRants and I hope you return one day. Take care!
I hope he comes back so we can stop talking about stats of the past, comparing Torres to Berba, its just boring. We all need new material! Oh lord, when will this boring weekend come to an end?
September 5th, 2008 at 21:34
it funny, the english media hasnt been hyping this match(they expect failure i guess) up, and yet, im kinda looking forward to it. BUT, i would rather like see berba in a red shirt scoring on his debut against the dippers(or should i say white shirt?)
September 5th, 2008 at 22:11
Booooring….
September 5th, 2008 at 23:28
I would love Berba to score against the dippers, on his debut, because Keane didn’t do that fot the L’fool, and it will make Berba a LEGEND immediately if he scores against the dippers. He is already a LEGEND with me though, because he turned down money to wear our red shirt. He only wants to play for us, and that means something. After all the evil slagging coming out of Spurs about Berba, well I was expecting the Satan himself. From what I can see though, from someone who didn’t supposedly crack a smile, he has never stopped since he moved into his spiritual home here at OT. Hope heaven smiles on him, and he bags one or two crackers against L’fool.
September 5th, 2008 at 23:31
Liam, what do you mean mate, that you will ignore Ronnie, but support him on the field?. Do you mean that you will shout for him at the game, but ignore commenting on him on the blogs?. Enlighten me mate, because I don’t get your post!.
September 5th, 2008 at 23:32
@Craig Mc: He-he!
Hope he shows that he is worthy of wearing the Red shrt(White vs Dippers). If he scores, he is an angel sent from heaven that will wear the Red Devils shirt. Eh, did that sound right or wrong to you? 
September 5th, 2008 at 23:39
I am going to take a bloody great LOUDSPEAKER to OT, and make sure his name is heard rattling from the stands. He has apologised numerous feckin times, and I don’t want him to be driven out, because the United faithful sustain a long hatred campaign. He wears Red, plays his heart out, he gets cheered. I know he won’t be sang to every few minutes, but I believe he will get his fair share, which should have always been the case anyway. All the players should hear their song sang during the games. The United faithful have to take some of the blame, because Ronnie was OVERLY exalted, at the expense of other players the whole bloody season. If he leaves January or the summer, I believe it will be because the fans DROVE him out, and not because he wants to go. Keeping the silence, will only make him feel we don’t want him anymore, and I know some of you don’t – SHAME ON YOU.
September 5th, 2008 at 23:50
RedDevilEddy, your post sounds alright to me mate. I have no doubt the Berba will prove his worth to us. He will help the Roon and Tev, with his flicks and deft touches too. He will be a Godsend until Ronnie is back. By the way, did United fans sort out a song for Berba to chant at the Pool game. He must be lauded mate
.
RedDevil are you Scandinavian?. I thought you said you were from Norway or Denmark
. I was watching vids on you tube of fan celebrations following Uniteds CL win over Chelsea, those Danes were going feckin mental celebrating mate 
.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:15
To the tune of Ag-a-doo….
Dim-i-tar Berbatov, he told City to fu.ck off
Dim-i-tar Berbatov, he told City to fu.ck off
With his left, with his right, he is fu.cking dynamite
Dimitar Berbatov he told City to fu.ck off!!
it’s the same as andersons ond not really original
Dim Dim Dim, Dimitar Berbatov,
Dim Dim Dim, Dimitar Berbatov,
And another one’s in, and another one’s in, another one hits the net,
Oooh, he’s gonna score one more, Dimitar Berbatov!
this one to “another one bites the dust” tune
Oh, Berbo’s ********in’ magic
He wears a magic hat,
And when he saw Old Trafford,
He said “I fancy that!”
He didn’t sign for City,
Or Madrid because they’re sh1te,
Oh he signed for Man United,
‘Coz they’re ********in’ dynamite…
lastly to the roy keane classic
have fun chanting
September 6th, 2008 at 1:45
@Craig Mc: I know you were probably joking, but I’m just trying to confirm, surely you were joking about the “legend” status right?? He hasn’t kicked a ball for us and yes theres a possibility he might turn out crap and already he’s a legend? Now on scoring against the dippers, that i agree with a 100%
September 6th, 2008 at 2:27
my starting XI for the Anfield match (providing we don’t get anymore damn injuries!)
VDS
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Scholes Hargreaves
Tevez Rooney Nani
Berbatov
my ideal starting XI would be similar
VDS
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Scholes Carrick
Ronaldo Tevez Rooney
Berbatov
The attacking 4 are all interchangeable of course and the fact i’ve stuck so and so on the left, or whoever down the middle really means jack when it comes to them physically playing.
All in all i don’t think there is a team in the world (especially now that Barcelona have sold off some of their Star names) that can boast an attacking line up of those four + the precision passing of our central midfielders
September 6th, 2008 at 2:36
@Craig MC
The cry baby-the show pony-the portugese magician-Mr. goal-CR7
All these are not true….The only thing that is true for this player -ok I could say he was Mr goal last year- is that he is a very confident and talented consistent player.He ’s got some skills with the ball but he has matured and uses them for good reasons most of the time.The great negative is that he isn’t that good in the big games…..especially in the wing……Another bad thing is that he is a winger and he just can’t deliver the ball properly in the box….he just can’t…
That’s for the player ….. I don’t want to talk abouth the man caouse we all know that he is a real cry baby…..worse than robinho
So I can call him
Mr consistency-Mr Cut Inside-Mr Turbo-Mr What position do I play……even Mr goal……….
But is he really that great for Manchester United?
Do we really need him so badly?
I mean calm down….Manchester is not a team that depends on a player……Just calm down
And about the fans you said…..Nobody really wants a player that doesn’t give his heart for the team even if he is Zidane-Kaka-Maradona-Ziko-Eusebio-Weah-Beckham-Maldini-Keane-Ruud combined…..Well if he is that player I want him to stay here for ever……..But if he is just a very top player……Well,the world has few of them….Manchester has the most of them
September 6th, 2008 at 3:27
RUUD RUUD RUUD RUUD RUUD
150 GOALS 220 GAMES RATIO 0.68181818181……IT NEVER ENDS
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={12B35B6C-4309-4553-AEF4-050A3B899C97}§ion=scorers
September 6th, 2008 at 5:00
Attack! Attack! Attack!
September 6th, 2008 at 5:58
RR! Call Back! Gorgnard! PLEASE!
September 6th, 2008 at 6:06
PES vs FIFA.. anyone?
September 6th, 2008 at 6:14
I’m waiting for the chaos that will ensue when the Arabs find they haven’t bought the city of Manchester but a football team.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:16
Nikos what you on about mate?. Cry Baby, show pony, Portuguese magician, were words from your mouth, NOT mine. I have never said those things about Ronnie. You have your opinion on Ronnie and I have mine. IMO he is a fantastic player, and he had a massive season for us last year, a Herculean effort. I for one appreciate his goal scoring magic.
The major complaint that I agree with most United fans on Ronnie, is the way he went about things in the summer. I do believe he will quit United, if the fans HATE on him, and he doesn’t feel wanted anymore. You ask Nikos, “Is he really that great for United?.” If you don’t know the answer to that, well says it all really!. As for Winger who cannot deliver the ball into the area???. Mate he doesn’t play as your orthodox winger though does he?. He is given license to free roam by Fergie. He can pass, but he wont, because he is a goal hungry player, who wants to score himself all the time. Now although I agree, that can be selfish, it has certainly worked in United’s favour last season. The main fault I hate with Ronnie though, is the dithering hesitation on the spot at the run up taking penalties. That has cost us a couple of times. Otherwise I have no complaints about his play.
His attitude in the whole Real M saga, I agree was far from the best, but worse cry baby than Robinho – NO Feckin way mate!. Compared to Robinho’s daily announcement, criticisms and lambasting of Madrid for not letting him go, his behaviour and continuous PUBLIC protestations were legendary. I am not saying R. Madrid didn’t get some cum-uppance for their own outrageous behaviour, it was well deserved cum-uppance. Yet to say Ronnie’s behaviour was worse, I DO NOT agree. Our main complaint with Ronnie, was that he wasn’t being straight, coming out and saying what he really meant. If Ronnie had have really wanted out, he could have done EXACTLY what Robinho did. And threatened to quit football if he didn’t get his way. So NO Nikos, I will never agree that Ronnie is worse than Robinho. Ronnie cared about leaving United with the clubs and fans blessing, Robinho didn’t care about any of that stuff.
Ronnie has publically apologised several times now, and it is up to every United fan to decide if they want to give him another chance and support him or not. I aim to give him another chance, and I believe a lot of the Salford Reds will too. We are a loving bunch of folk in Salford
.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:23
Nikos, Ruud isn’t here anymore, and he is not coming back
, live with it mate 
.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:26
when/if grognard comees back, its up to him, its stupid to eep saying comeback grognard or red ranter get grognard back, when the chances are they dont even know each other personally. stop this and start talking football related matters such as berbatov, the player that just signed for us.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:31
@Craig Mc: Im Norwegian mate!
Lots of United fans here, I was really proud in 1999 when I went to England and told people I was from Norway. I t may sound wierd to just go to people and say that you are from there and there, but when I went out and went to pubs and started talking people asked me where I was from. When I said I came from Norway, I got a free Coke at Dolly Dimples! 
I was proud of what Solksjaer did for the club, as a United fan and as a Norwegian. I belice that he is the perfect player to have in your team. He doesnt complain to sit on the bench, but he is still an amazing talent. Fletcher and Oshea are good cause they dont complain and they do a decent job. But Solskjær is a legend, he might have become one of the worlds best players had it not been for his injuries. 20LEgend!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:33
RD,
mate. I said, that to ME Berba was a legend already, because he refused good money to come to us. He wanted that Red Devil shirt more than any amount of money. That is refreshing in this day of money grabbing football player mercenaries. There are not that many loyalists these days, when ££££££££ signs are flashing elsewhere. In that sense I meant he was quite legendary. Hope that has cleared it up for you RD 
. I wasn’t saying he was going to become a United legend as the Ruud’s, Keano’s, Scoles, Giggs etc etc etc. I hope he does become one though, because that would be very good for us.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:34
@Craig Mc: I agree with you on the Ronaldo saga. If you read my eariler comment, 211, you will see my feeling about Ronny. Hopefully people at Old Trafford will be more like you and me instead of booing him.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:37
@Craig Mc: You must have misunderstood me. I didnt talk about Berba, I talked about me being from Nrway and how great it is. The fans are crazy here too! We United fans go mental everytime United score. I remember in March 2007, when we beat Liverpool 1-0 with Osheas goal. When he scored, we jumped up and down started singing and didnt stop until it was 6 oclock(Norwegian time). Some of us went to some scouse fans we know and mocked them. We had to run though, they got pretty mad, but it was worth it.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:40
RedDevilEddy, I agree with every word you said about Legend Ole Sol. I would be amazed if Norway weren’t proud of such a National Legend for them. Known as the baby faced Assassin – he was United Legend indeed. Did the Norwegian fans all get together in the town squares, like the Danes did, to watch Utd/Chelski CL final?. If so, what were the celebrations like mate, cos as I said before the Danish United fans were going totally mental
.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:42
RedDevilEddy
, I was answering RD’s post about Berba. There is a poster on here sig RD, sorry for the mix up, but I was talking to RD about Berba.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:42
Now, about Berba. I think he will be the last piece in the jigsaw. He is a stiker that is deadly, but still not only a finisher but a great passer as well. He can do what seems impossible sometimes. When he scored against us in February, I didnt see him until the ball had gone in the net. And if he can trick the United defense, he can trick everyone. I believe he will be one of the best signings in Fergies career, so I will be cheering for him to score(betting too) at Anfield in the oh, so ugly kit that United wear on their PL travels. But, since he came from Spurs, the white kit may feel/look good on him.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:48
Mr Muhozi, thank you for the Berba songs/chants, bloody good ones mate
.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:51
@Craig Mc: No we didnt. The cops were afraid the fans of the two teams would collide and create havoc. So I had to watch it at the club, together with the creator of the Norwegian United site, United.no, and my friends. When the penalty shootouts began some Chelski fans came and started trash talking. All of us were so nervous that we didnt even think about answering, so they just talked to eachother like some brainless cunts.
When Terry was about to kick the ball my friends left, I told him not to leave cause we would win it. I knew Terry was going to score, or maybe it was just what I really, really wanted. When he missed we all went mental, but I got back to my nervous self when Andy went up to take the kick. When Anelka missed we all celbrated and yelled like… actually theres no word for it, except monkeys of cource. You get it. 
I dont remember much after that, the Chelski fans left and we were singing under the moon, even though I felt like I was over it. COME ON YOU REDS!!!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:52
EVRA!!!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:53
RedDevilEddy,
mate. Your friends and you better watch those Norwegian scouse fans, they might catch you, and duff you up for your teasing 
. So glad you got a good welcome in the Manchester pubs as a visiting Norwegian. The Mancs are football mad, and great people. Well I’m one myself aren’t I 
?. Aren’t there any you tube vids of the Norwegian fans celebrations of United CL win etc, cos I couldn’t find any mate?.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:02
RedDevil, hahahahaha. Fancy your friends leaving though, they missed Terry falling on his arse and missing the vital penalty. Did they come back at all?. Those Chelski fans, so feckin cocky, but O the joy of wiping the smile off their faces – delirium
. The Norwegian police sound as much WIMPS as the Manchester police force. Your lot couldn’t police an open air football gathering, and our lot couldn’t police a homecoming parade – bunch of police mice not men 
. The Danish police embarrased their Norwegian and Manc counterparts then 
.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:07
@Craig Mc: Only one wanted to leave, but I kept him from it. I enjoy coming to Manchester, I go there at least once a year. I am going for the Bolton game in the end of September, so I am going to have a good time.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:08
Bad quality video, but the description says it all: Norwegian United fans after CL final.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:10
Here is another one, better qual
September 6th, 2008 at 10:12
Yeah, we are a really happy gang!
September 6th, 2008 at 10:20
This is a must see for United fans. Part 1 of 3, youlll find the other 2 to the right.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:23
Seriously, where is everybody?
This isnt fun, its boooooooriiiing! 
Why did RedRanter have to get a lfe, I wish he could make a weekend post, it would be much more fun.
September 6th, 2008 at 13:07
Well, since no-ones here, Im gonna put up my ultimate dream team. Do you guys agree or what?
GK: Gigi Buffon
RB: Micah Richards
CB: Nemanja Vidic
CB: Rio Ferdinand
LB: Patrice Evra
RM: Cristiano Ronaldo
CM: Cesc Fabregas
CM: Anderson Abreu
LM: Lukas Podolski
ST: Wayne Rooney(thats right!)
ST: Fernando Torres
sub: Casillas, Ramos, Clichy, Gatusso, Messi, Berbatov, Tevez
What is your dream team?
September 6th, 2008 at 13:08
RedDevil,
, everybody is either in the pub, on their way to the pub, or just getting ready to go to the pub. Getting tanked up ready for the England match tonight. I am just about to leave myself 
. Are Norway playing an international game today?.
Thanks for the videos, those Norwegian fans are even crazier than the Danes. Loved the rendition of the Ole song
. Thanks for the other vids too mate. I’m off with my mates to the pub now. See you laterz.
September 6th, 2008 at 13:58
RedDevilEddy
Very special team…Replace podolski with massi and that’s maybe the greatest team……
Also,Micah Richards? I don’t know mate……Last year’s MU’s back 4 were one of the best defensive linse I’ve ever seen………
Maybe Essien or Gerrard as a right-back cause they are incredible players
September 6th, 2008 at 14:19
RedDevil: Swap Richards with Ramos, Essien in for Anderson, Messi for Podolski and Kaka for Rooney. And I’m torn on Buffon/Casillas.
P.S. How the hell does Podolski get in your dream team????
September 6th, 2008 at 16:21
This site seems to have hit the breaks…. on side note , demonoid is open for registration for a small time today!! Dont know what i mean , then you dont need it anyway.
September 6th, 2008 at 16:59
@R: hahahah thanks for the tip!
September 6th, 2008 at 17:22
Manucho??????????
Did he get the work permition?
September 6th, 2008 at 17:31
@JB: I have followed Poldy ever since he played at Køln, so I can say with my full heart that i think he is a really good left winger. I really dont like Messi so much, I think he is a really amazing player but I dont like him. Its personal.
September 6th, 2008 at 17:32
@NiKOS: He did in the end of August. Manucho is ours.
September 6th, 2008 at 17:36
@RedDevilEddy: if managers picked their teams based on personal opinion about a players personal life, its down right stupid and that manager would either a) be sacked or b) not win shit with the team hes at.
September 6th, 2008 at 17:41
any other Irish around? Playing a bit better than usual but the inconsistency still seems to be there
September 6th, 2008 at 19:07
dan(u-ol)
he is a fan not a manager…..it’s his opinion….not his professional opinion……..
If I was a manager I would have never bought Veron,I would have never sold Stam or phil Neville and Andy Cole……..
But guess what……..SAF did the opposite thing and was wrong……that doesn’t make me a manager
It’s just a fan’s view
September 6th, 2008 at 19:14
@RedDevilEddy:
my dream team would have to be
GK:Peter Schmeichel
LB:Paulo Maldini
CB:Franco Baresi
CB:Franz Beckenbauer
RB:Cafu
CM:Didi
LM:Zico
RM:Rivelino
AM:George Weah
ST:Pele
ST:1997 Ronaldo
September 6th, 2008 at 19:17
My dream team
Buffon
Ramos Rio Puyol Evra
Xavi Essien Gerrard
Ronaldo Drogba Messi
Subs: EVDS, Vidic, Lahm, Fabregas, Torres, Kaka
September 6th, 2008 at 19:52
On the first day of september
The time was half past eight eight
The bastards at man city
thought that they were fuckin great
they were running round the council house
with tea towels on their head
But Berbatov said fuck you cunts
Im gonna be a red.
September 6th, 2008 at 19:54
hahaha
cut and paste off youtube comments
sounds good to me
September 6th, 2008 at 20:01
Liam, I am a follower of the irish team and yes they do look better. I say i follow Ireland, well i am english but do have irish blood in me (distant but still irish blood all the less). Am fed up with england and really cannot stand the players who play for them apart from the united lads. Anyway, i think ireland will improve and honestly believe they will go ahead of england in the ranking in the near future. They have a great man in charge of them too. They do however for me need another lead the line striker who will put the ball in the net every time. Not easy to find though.
England 0-0 with andorraa at half time. I feel sorry for capello as i also have italian blood so have a fondness for him and feel that england will put his reputation down, but i honestly think england would be crap even if fergie took them over, they are just that kind of team.
England = Newcastle mk2
September 6th, 2008 at 20:19
well, in anycase, englad are two nil up and wayne rooney created most of their chances for defoe to fluff them up… and the seocnd joe cole goal was made by him…
cant wait to see him partnering up with Berbalicious and scoring our goals… =)
September 6th, 2008 at 20:44
Well, it’s been the first match EVER between Turkey and Armenia in Armenia, and Turkey has won 2-0 thanks to second half goals from Tuncay(60′) and Semih(78′). YES!!!!
I guess that I’m one of the few who likes watching internationals, but that’s because I like to watch my home nation. Hopefully Turkey will finish 2nd in the group behind Spain and qualify through the 2nd round. It all depends on the two matches between the two in the space of three days in 2009.
September 6th, 2008 at 21:00
TurkishRED, Turkey are a very decent team, i watched them in the euros and down to performace they deserved to win it. I was actually willing them on to win the euro, and from what i saw they did play attractive football. Do turkey still have the same manager in charge? Also how do you turks rate tuncay sanli. I always thought he looked a great player and just wanted your opinion on him. Also what ever happened to nuri sahin. Any young turkish players who we should look out for?
September 6th, 2008 at 21:08
Yeah the mind boggles. 2-0 against a team of part timers is pathetic. Good to see Rooney was creating some chances, but really he should be forced to lead the line because unless Owen is fit he is the best striker England have by a mile.
4-4-1-1
James
Brown Rio Terry A.Cole
Wright P Gerrard Hargreaves Downing
Cole
Rooney
September 6th, 2008 at 21:17
@NiKOS: SHUT UP FFS, am i not allowed to have an opinion on his opinion? i basically said his opinion is wrong, is tha bad? or are you so one minded that you cant even have a debate with someone because your afraid of hurting their feelings? If everyone thought like you the world be boring and the only thing interesting to talk about would be the suicides everyday. Sorry to have a go at you like this but it really annoys me when people say its mine/their opinion, i know its their bloody opinion thats why they said it, you dont have to say its your opinion because i know it is!
September 6th, 2008 at 21:17
@Matthew: Yes, the Emperor Fatih Terim is still in charge. There was some speculation that he would manage somewhere in England or Italy after EURO 2008, but the federation extended his contract until 2012 Poland/Ukraine.
People like Tuncay in Turkey… I think he’s great… the heart of the midfield. Always a threat in the box and good with his head.
I’m not great with young Turkish players but I know Nuri Sahin has played recently for the U21’s with Serdar Ozkan but that he is usually in the squad as a sub. Also Arda Turan is a great young player on the left wing. Of course, Colin Kazim-Richards played great as a sub today, assisting Semih Senturk for the second goal off a corner.
September 6th, 2008 at 21:19
By the way, NANI has scored for Portugal…
September 6th, 2008 at 21:41
heinz own goal and tevez got a red card
September 6th, 2008 at 22:18
dan (u o l)
Your mom’s opinion is that you have a small dick and that’s why she calls me everyday…..to make her scream loud with my huge cock…..but that’s still her opinion…..I just do my job……..LOL
I never said that it’s not OK to argue with someone…..I argued with you about the way you argued…….We agree that people must disagree……But your way is childish , immoral and even illegal………Imagine everyday like this…….. calling your mates tha way u called me , or the way I called you names etc……Well, it would be a world of murders not suicides
September 6th, 2008 at 22:24
@gator: Not a good day for the Argies then.
September 6th, 2008 at 22:45
@NiKOS: so me calling you one minded is childish, immoral and even illegal, what ever floats your boat. btw, your a dick, but thats just my opinion.
September 6th, 2008 at 22:47
@dan(u-ol): Okey Dan, easy. You to Nikos. Lets end this with a smile, you shouldnt be talking shit about eachother.
You will get banned, and it is not good to talk bad to eachother. Calm down both of you! 
September 6th, 2008 at 22:49
@NiKOS: Nikos, what the fuck is wrong with you?! You got a problem with someone, argue, dont talk shit. Thats only bad and you know it. Stop acting like some motherfucking prick and behave like a human being.
September 6th, 2008 at 22:54
My feeling of my team are based not on personal feelings, but a whole team. I think Messi wouldnt fit into that team since I already have Ronaldo to be the main man. If I had Messi in that team, that would make the midfield like having Anderson and Scholes there. Both want to decide the play, and that fucks the whole team up.
September 6th, 2008 at 22:56
@RedDevilEddy: but what if you played, messi as a CF(thats stays up the field unlike rooney)?
September 6th, 2008 at 22:58
Podolski is a striker/winger kinda like Ronaldo. I would have two wingers that can cut inside, cross and get into the box. I would have one midfielder that can go forward and play killer passes and get many assists and one powerhouse that never gives up. Richards is a strong and fast right back, someone that can overlap and defend. Brown is good, but I think Micah is the best right back in the Prem. Ramos is possibly the best in Europe, but I think he isnt such strong. Okey? Dont critisise my team, dont critisise me. You can disagree, but there is no need to say Im wrong. I have my own opinions, just like Fergie did to sell Becks, Ruud and Stam. CHILL!
September 6th, 2008 at 23:02
@dan(u-ol): I want to play Rooney cause he brings real workrate to the team. He is a player that I would actually play behind Torres, since he can finish(on a good day), and make chances from nothing more often than not. If I have Messi I would lose that little, special spark that Rooney brings to the team on a good day.
September 6th, 2008 at 23:03
i would just like to point out that i think many of you are forgetting lahm as a right back, surely he should get a shout out?
September 6th, 2008 at 23:06
@dan(u-ol): Good, but not too strong to get into my plans.
Hey, Im not a manager. Im just a kid that likes football and is bored of the internationals so he writes here.
September 6th, 2008 at 23:07
@RedDevilEddy: but rooney only has a couple of good days in a season though, rooney so inconsistent, his standard has dropped so low that i dont even consider him being united standard, i think the kun is a much better cf then him, but i do understand what your saying though, his work rate is the only thing going for him now because if you take away his work rate, what do you have left? not much.
September 6th, 2008 at 23:08
@RedDevilEddy: i know what you mean, i really want to see berba in that red(white) shirt
September 6th, 2008 at 23:19
Did berba play for Bulgaria today?
On the topic of Argentina they are so frustrating. I am a long time admirer of them, and when i watch them there is something about them. They have easily the best team in the international world, but regularly struggle to smaller teams.
September 6th, 2008 at 23:42
Sorry for everything but I just didn’t know what FFS means…SHUT UP FFS he said………When people talk to me like this without reason they get what they deserved and I think dan deserved “a lesson of gooud manners”……..U can say I’m wrong since you make reasonable points…….But since u tell me “I wanna call u FFS or Shut up and I don’t care” you re gonna get your mummy’s ass facked ………till my dick gets into the stomach and the mouth
September 6th, 2008 at 23:54
@NiKOS: you know what, your a fucking prat that needs to get a fucking life and grow up. Do you think you constantly bad mouthing my mother is going to make you look big? no you stupid idiot, it makes you look like a prat. i mean how old do you have to be to start on someones mother? i bet your a bloody 12 year old. you will not win anyone’s respect around here with your attitude. your fucking prick who needs to grow up or just fuck off. And by the way FFS, means for fuck sake, so i dont know what you meant. You just piss of you prat.
September 7th, 2008 at 1:26
?? now that I know what FFS is , you have to recall the shut up…….that’s what real men do ……apologizing for their stupidities……..I did that …..I said I’m sorry …..go on……MAN
September 7th, 2008 at 2:57
@dan(u-ol): you kinda started it. I don’t want to get involved but you attacked him for disagreeing with you
As for Rooney, did you like it when we won the double last season? Rooney is one of our best players and is first choice-get over it. We were at our worst last season without him in the team and he has come a hell of a lot closer to scoring this season than Tevez has. As well as Tevez may have played in some peoples eyes, if Rooney was doing the same you’d be saying that he stays too far back. You my friend have been brainwashed by the media. I hear Rooney was one of Englands best players today, but I wouldnt know because I don’t watch England
September 7th, 2008 at 3:49
love berba. if we play tevez rooney ronaldo behind him looks like rooney & tevez will invariably end up doing the mopping up and closing down because berba is so languid and unhurried on the pitch + ronaldo defensively lazy as always.
the interesting thing is tevez and rooney have equal workrate in my opinion. both track back, but tevez seems to balance defensive and attacking play far more intelligently; seems ferguson is merely making excuses for why rooney is regressing as an attacking force.
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=wff7rH07NZA
rooney should be playing more like the above. even if it was sheff utd.
September 7th, 2008 at 6:06
Hello everyone. I’m a long time reader first time poster. I’m a big United fan living in Australia. Its about time I introduced myself to my fellow United supporters. Its quite a good day down here after we defeated The Netherlands 2-1 in Eindhoven. I just wanted to know what you guys know about Australian football and what you think of our national team.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:39
@Aymen: Welcome to this wonderful United blog. I am a long term member, so I can say that it is good to get new members. You will be treated well if you talk about United in a good way instead of critisising players. Welcome!
September 7th, 2008 at 9:39
@NiKOS: what? you think just saying im sorry in a comment makes it an apology? “But since u tell me “I wanna call u FFS or Shut up and I don’t care” you re gonna get your mummy’s ass facked ………till my dick gets into the stomach and the mouth” your going to sorry then say that? prat.
@Liam: i started by saying shut up? you people need to grow some thick skin, grow a pair and grow up if you think saying shut up is that bad and warrants an idiot saying disgusting things about ones mother.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:40
@Aymen: And by the way, congratulations on beating Holland. Now that Edwin has retired from the national team, I wish everyone luck in beating the dutch. Sneijder, Van Der Vaart, Ruud and Drenthe all play for Real so….HE-HE!
Well done!
September 7th, 2008 at 9:41
@dan(u-ol): Dan, we have a new member to this site. Welcome him you too.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:54
Shall we show some sympathy to Silvestre who jumped into the Arsenal’s ship when being examined on the treatment table by citeh?
September 7th, 2008 at 10:29
@Aymen: wel I know that Tim Cahill’s form has dipped significantly. I admire Mark Viduka…and I also know that we thrashed you guys in the rugby last weekend.
September 8th, 2008 at 8:43
@phoenix red:
LMAO! nice 1 there @ “slave”