Aug 08
United see off City in the Community Shield
Manchester United 3 v Manchester City 2. Isn’t life great? Somehow a win like today’s Charity Shield comeback of comebacks seems so much sweeter and so much more rewarding than if we had beaten them 4-0. Nothing makes you feel better about your team, it’s prospects for the future and it’s overall makeup than an outstanding come from behind victory against a hated derby rival.
The Community Shield Circa 2011/12 will go down as a classic for United fans and especially a classic comeback which defines all the reasons I gave as to why United is still kings of Manchester and English football. In the end, United won the game, game back from a two goal deficit and won the game with style thanks to a great performance from Nani and the whole gang who showed more grit, character, discipline, teamwork, togetherness, experience and pedigree.
This may go down as just another Charity Shield, a competition that over the years and all the fixture congestion has seemingly become just another exhibition match. Well it just might be but when we win it it feels like an FA Cup. And the manner of the victory makes it feel like we are like James Cameron, kings of the world.
The funny thing about the game for me is that despite being down 0-2 at halftime, I was not my usual negative self but actually had a feeling that United would fight back and make a game of it. Sorry to all you David De Gea fans but I actually blame both City goals on him. He showed two of his weaknesses that I wrote about many a time when I was o0ffering up my ratings on the top keepers available to us. I f people want to go back and check I mentioned that he is indecisive when it comes to coming out to challenge crosses or high balls into the box and that certainly was the fact in goal number one. Sure it wasn’t all his fault as the marking was pretty shoddy at best. No way a player like Lescott should be scoring against our back four. Secondly, he reacted slowly and was on his wrong foot unbalanced and not ready for the inevitability of a long shot like the one Dzeko fired at him. Full credit to Edin as it was a fine shot but van der Sar would have probably stopped it with his lanky reach and I bloody well guarantee that my boy Manuel Neuer wouldn’t have let either goal in.
Still, I am not to down on the lad. He is young and he will need to deal with pressure and learn some key fundamentals for the English game that are hardly used in the Spanish or continental game, handling crosses being the most important. Overall, United were full value for their victory. Yes they have to work on wide balls into the box which was a problem for them last year as well, especially early on, and yes, they still need to mesh and find a consistent rhythm which will come with games played.
I was super impressed with Nani as he took the burden of being down two goals upon himself and led us by example. His contributions besides his two goals shows us all just how far he has come in the last two years and makes me ask the serious question Fergie just how could you possibly ever consider picking Valencia or even Park over Nani in big games and especially late last season and in the Champions League final? Nani gives us the X-Factor, that special intangible that no other wide player gives us. He can conjure up a goal or an assist when we most need it and he frankly makes things happen. Like Ronaldo, this lad should never be on the bench, just my opinion.
His two goals were fantastic and very composed finishes. Something that I have noticed about Nani Park and even Anderson over the last six months or so is that they are finishing more regularly and their finishing seems more composed and clinical. To be honest, Ronaldo’s finishing was decent but hardly Ronaldo-like in his first few seasons. These players may have taken a bit longer to find that clinical composure but it sure looks like they have, which is great news for United all us fans.
As for the rest of the gang the performances ranged from very good to somewhat poor but I am not going to waste time and space giving a report card. Suffice it to say the club outplayed City and out shot them by almost 3-1 (22 to 8] which for me indicates who was really in charge despite the halftime score and closeness of the final score line. I was also impressed with young Tom Cleverley and if Fergie does not press the buy button on Wesley Sneijder or anyone else, then he must give Cleverley the chance to establish himself. With his vision he helped United win the midfield today and his contributions to that second goal was great as it looked simply Barcelonaesque in quality. More of that please.
The Shield may not have the pedigree or the reputation as a serious cup final with many but make no mistake, it still is a game that we need to win and still offers silverware. Not only did we win the game and the silverware, but most importantly, we kept a hated rival from winning it and we the team allowed us United fans to yet again have bragging rights over our noisy neighbours from the wrong side of the tracks. Most of all, the game helps the club build on their confidence, while hurting the confidence of our biggest challengers this season. It’s not a major advantage but it sure helps and will always keep City cautious no matter how far ahead they are when playing us. Today they got spanked in the second half and they feel it.
City weren’t terrible by any means and their lead was somewhat deserved but like I said earlier, they are not a team yet and individuals will not beat a great “team” who have individuals who can conjure up miracles like Nani and fight adversity with grit, determination and the stubborn refusal to lose (except to Barca). I am a huge proponent of pedigree and experience and United showed it in a one off scenario. Over a long drawn out 38 game campaign interrupted by cup ties, Europe and International breaks, only a team with pedigree, discipline and experience can come out ahead. And Mr. Mancini has gone on record saying he still doesn’t have the players for the job nor does he believe his club is as good as we are for all the above reasons. United showed their class today and won a game for the ages. Too bad it wasn’t an FA Cup final, but either way, I’ll take it.
Van Wilson
Related items from Red Rants:
- Anderson talks – puts speculation to bed
- Man Utd v Chelsea: Community Shield Preview
- Some NOTW Nonsense + Community Shield Preview
- United* 1-1 Chelsea: First Blood to the Reds
- WIll United Add to Arsenal’s Early Struggles?
Tags: Manchester United News
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Anderson. More of the same from you fella. I’m certainly not his biggest fan but he played City’s midfield brilliantly yesterday, which sort of gives me the middle finger as I covet City’s midfield. The Toure-De Jong-Silva axis has the perfect combination of steel, engine and imagination but somehow our fat Brazilian eluded them. Certainly at a loss for words on that front.
Promising from Cleverley, although there are still some rough edges that should be smoothed off. He looked very excited and if he rushed some decisions that was certainly the reason.
People shouldn’t jump on Carrick’s back. He remains our chief passmaster and will carry most of the midfield burden as he did in the crunch part of last season. He was playing with an achilles injury and I know from personal experience that it takes your mind off the game. For a player like him who relies on vision and composure the injury becomes even more significant.
Berbatov, there is nothing more for you here. The truth hurts because he is such a nice guy and a great professional who really loves United (then again I love United too and I would only step on the OT pitch as a guest on a tour). It’s nothing personal, just business. If the size of the bid from PSG has truth in it, we would be insane not to accept it.
Voted a great comment - Well Done poster.
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Well said on Carrick, I agree 100%, he takes a lot of stick. But he will be a big part of the squad this season so deserves our support.
As for Berba i agree. i think he is class no doubt. I thought he was a strange buy at the time and I do not see where he fits in. Unless Fergie has a plan for him and he is happy being a bit part player he should go. A great player do not get me wrong. Does Fergie have a plan though? He was quoted at the weekend saying he was more than happy with 7 strikers on the books.
He will possibly keep every one until Christmas and see how things pan out before offloading any more players. Who knows. One thing is for sure we should not be short of goals
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So groggy is publishing like a mad-man, now. 3 of the last 4 posts were his… just like 3 of last 4 years we were in the final… one more post Groggy to set us up for another final
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Still part 2 of his season preview to come yet! That’ll be up in the next day or so
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Poor article, think this blog needs old writers to return. I mean a poster throws his toys out of the pram because he can not take the criticism poured on him so he takes up writing the articles and hides away.
Arrogant and poorly written article
I thought we played fantastically well and brought our pre season form to our final preseason game. Lets not get carried away this is pre season and from what I hear City did not have the best preparation in the build up to the game.
Special mention to Tom and Danny who look the business after their respected loans last season. I thought Anderson was again fantastic. if the penny has dropped with him we will have a fantastic player for the season ahead.
Roll on Sunday and lets get that away form back on track in the first game.
As for City they will be in the mix, especially when they land the few players they are no doubt chasing
Everyone\\\'s talking about this one! - Join the debate.... Like or Dislke:
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Considering that this was written by Groggy, I would say he was full of optimism and joy over our game [look at how often he uses positive words and connotations]. Based on the football discussed in the review it was not a “poorly written” article.
While you may disagree freely with Grognard, I don’t understand you CONSTANT droning negative take on ANYTHING he creates or writes on here. When it all comes down to it, we are all supporting the same team (regardless of other flirtations) and want the best for United.
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Ian wrote this mate?!
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Van Wilson = Groggy. Ian just posted it.
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I stand corrected dear Sir.
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Did not know the grogster had wrote it, stand by what I said. I miss him any way. he made this blog worth reading with his comments.
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How can you say you didn’t know yet your original reply eludes to an old poster throwing his toys out of the pram for not being able to take criticism? That sounds very much like the Grognard situation to me, anyone else agree?
I smell a rat…..
I think you should consider letting it go RedTan.
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RATatouille!!!
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why is this guy still around? His sole mission on here is to wind up Grognard.
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LOL! Snaaaaared
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I get all fuzzy inside reading all this praise for Ando and Tom.
This must be how proud dad’s feel like!
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Aye, it is so much nicer when it is players we have brought through or persevered with in Andos case. Rather than the big money signing. A few people have made the point of late “players with some thing to prove” Young Tom looks like he was made for the big stage and he is going to let every one know about.
Fergie made an interesting point recently when he said some thing along the lines of. The earlier you get a player, the longer you can keep them for.
lets hope that proves to be the case
bring on Sunday
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Cleverley has now been called into the England squad, bloody hell hope he keeps his feet on the ground. He looks like a real talent and fingers crossed because we desperatly need a plyaer like him.
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Pleased for him, he deserves it with his recent performances. Lets get this pointless friendly out of the way and let the real business start.
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Totally pointless and not needed before a hard season, typical.
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I think you’ve written a good report there Van, a bit shocked that the 2nd goal only gets lip-service though. You won’t see a better goal than that anywhere in Europe between now and next May. Class.
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You said it mate, classy classy goal. If arsenal or barca had scored it, the tv/press would have been going crazy over it. With us it barely gets a mention, typical.
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I’M SO FUCKING PSYCHED FOR THIS PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON, CAN’T FUCKING WAIT FOR SUNDAY!!! I MISS THE PREMIER LEAGUE, FUCKING GET IN!!!
BEL19VE FOR 20, UNITED!
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The Premier League is the best League in the World, the La Liga, Serie A, Ligue ØØØØ, Bundesliga and so on can go to hell, no league is better. Watching yesterdays game, I can’t fucking wait for Sunday! Heck, can’t even wait for Saturday!
Watching Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Wolves, Blackburn and so on, I’m just looking forward to see the Premier League in action again! What a fucking GREAT season it’s going to be, looking forward to see United in proper action again!
And for fucks sake lads, win on Sunday and put the shit away record of last season to rest.
Win every game, every trophy, every year, United!
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I still cant say whether that win was good or bad in long run.That win might stop Fergie bidding for Sneijder which will be a real shame considering what a talent that guy is.
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Anderson about my video:
And about his friendship with Ashley:
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I fucking love that guy!
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I have to say, i loved the way he was geeing up the crowd when we were getting corners, and how at the end he was celebrating with the fans. He really does seem to have a good relationship with the fans, which is weird considering hes not been the best for us the last few years, and its only usually legends or cult heroes who get that sort of reception.
Seems ando is definitely a member of the former though.
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The latter i meant.
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I LOVE HIM!
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Nice writeup grog, good to see your still involved in the place somewhat. It was a fantastic game, some of the best football ive seen from us for a good long time, and the equaliser was simply out of this world.
) but credit where its due, he was.
Clevs, danny, nani, smalling, jonesy, even ando were all fucking quality yesterday, especially cleverley who i definitely want to see more of and even ando (cant believe im saying that
Hopefully clev grabs this chance for england and us, by the bollocks and makes the spot his own. Credit to him as so far he and danny, jones and smalling have all shown they really will be grabbing their chances where and when they get them, and that can only be good for the team. The likes of carrick, rio and giggs, really will have a fight on their hands this season to keep hold of their 1st team spots me thinks.
PS- Looking at a few of the recordings i had saved on my phone from the game yesterday, it is amazing looking at how few city fans were in attendence.
For anyone whose been to wembley before they’ll know about the entrance to the stadium, whereby the 2 sets of fans are seperated by a walk way (if not look it up to see what i mean).
Anyway, the united walkway was full to bursting with no room to swing a cat, it literally took 20 mins to get up there and into the bloody stadium.
The city end meanwhile you could have swung a bloody mountain lion whilst cartwheeling and you still wouldnt have made contact with anyone, it was that bloody quiet.
Inside the stadium was the same. I was in the 2nd tier up, facing the corner flag (the end where all the goals were scored) and the whole place was bloody full. City meanwhile could barely fill tier 1 behind the goal, and the 2nd tier must have been 70% empty.
All this from the club who have the so called “best fans in manchester/england/the world”. Huh, are they heck.
They were given a footballing lesson on the field, sang out of the stadium in the fans head to heads, and were left crawling back to wherever the hell theyre from, with their tails well and truly between their legs.
City just went to show yesterday, on and off the field, what a bloody joke of a club they are, and how despite all the finance, they are simply light years behind their red rivals.
PS- Funniest moment of the day, coming back from wembley, on a tube packed by 60+ reds, and the looks on the faces of 3 blues as they get on and are greeted by a chorus of “this is how it feels to be city”. Their faces were a fucking picture and unfortunately for them they had to endure this for the rest of the journey home
The poor bitters.
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http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/22377110150339923132642.jpg/
This is what im talking about
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That’s nearly as sexy as the equaliser!
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Love the Pic…did you get to click the 3 Blues who got on the tube???It would be even better to see that….
Mastercard Moment
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Unfortunately not mate, should have recorded it really but forgot. Look around on youtube, and it might be there, was pure comedy gold
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My heart goes out to all the people affected by the rioting in London, I hope all is well and that things get settled soon.
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It was a great game but we cannot read too much into it. City’s players haven’t gelled and their defending was something atrocious in the second half. City aren’t a possession football team and we were given plenty of the ball and that plays nicely into our hands. A better team would have shut up shop after going 2-0 up.
I don’t think this is City’s year. Without Tevez they don’t have a focal point or a goalscorer that can be relied upon. And they have brought a brand new defence who will take some time to get used to each other.
As usual Chelsea will be our only real challenger and while I think they will be better organized than under Ancelotti and unlikely to suffer such a mid season slump, they will be a year older and they will pay dearly for failing to land Modric.
Cleverley looked good and Anderson if he stays fit could prove useful.
Carrick is good to have in certain games but I don’t feel he should be playing in a two man central midfield. He makes us too static and predictable. Our movement is so much better with two mobile central midfielders like Anderson and Cleverley (and Sneijder would work well also).
But we have to do something about Evra. He faces zero competition and he is a liability. I’d sell berbatov in a heartbeat if it meant getting a quality left back like Baines.
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I disagree about citeh team not gelled yet. I could be wrong but I swear everyone who started yesterday for them was there last season. They were fortunate to be up 2-0 at HT but in the second half we simply showed the gulf in class between the two sides. I dont even think Tevez or Kun would have helped because frankly City couldnt get the ball off of us. Our midfield which is apparently the worst in the world bossed the second half and nani took over the goal scoring load.
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I seriously love Lindgaard’s attitude:
“The boss told me when I came that, if you’re good enough, you’re going to play. The best man plays – that’s how it is and how it should be. A lot of people in the media have said that I am here to be No2 but that is not how I see it at all. It’s the most attractive goalkeeping job in the world. It’s the job everybody wants and I’m no different. I want that job.”
Lindegaard was signed from the Norwegian club Aalesund in January for around £3.5m, not even a fifth of the amount United paid Atlético for De Gea, but the 27-year-old does not believe the smaller fee will have any influence on Ferguson’s selection during the course of the season. “You have players coming to the club who are not huge signings but still make their way. Chicharito [Javier Hernández] was maybe the best player last season but he wasn’t brought in as a huge star. He made his way and he’s a real example of how to do it.”
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Tom Cleverley against Manchester City
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check that vid out at the 5:25-30 mark. clever and ando making fools of city that whole buildup is beautiful with chances falling to nani then clever.
WOW! cant wait for the season to start.
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Guardian is reporting that Nasri is available for arnd 25 Mil…any one has any idea if we are in for him???
I’d hate for shitty to get a good CM with PL experience…
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Don’t fear, Sneijder is here (even though we don’t really need him):
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/941470/inter-star-wesley-sneijder-hints-at-unofficial-talks-with-man-utd?cc=5901
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Well, YOUR BOY Manuel Neuer made worse mistake on his bayern’s debut actually….
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Every keeper is bound to make errors over the years. Every goal that a keeper concedes can be stopped, all they have to do is be at the right place at the right time. Sadly keepers are human and they can’t know before hand where to position themselves all the time, thats why you’ll never hear of a keeper who has never conceded a goal.
To asssume boy neuer is any different is preposterous. He had a good game against us in the first leg then opened up at OT and gave us free entry.He has been billed up as the best but i saw him let in some silly ones last year.
De Gea will make mistakes, lets not kid ourselves. He will take time to adapt and learn to command and organize the area like VDS. The boy hardly speaks english for crying out loud. Its now obvious there people who are waiting for the guy to fail. Hovering aroung like vultures ready to slate him for every small mistake. woe unto him if he kicks the ball out of play or doesn’t throw far enough or doesn’t come out and catch all the balls, the media and some fans will be on his back like jesus cross waiting to crucify him on fleet street.
Not this fan though, I’m glad that fergie is still incharge and never listens to the opinion of the ever wavering media and will show faith in da gea. The kid has the ability, just needs to polish up on a few areas and maybe lookout for some of those long range shots and he’ll be fine.
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It does seem as though we are doing our usual tactic of operating under a smokescreen. Which makes me think we are interested in Sneijder. But I still think we will ultimately be unwilling to pay what Inter and the player want.
I think it is a little early to say we don’t need him. We’ve had a great pre-season and an impressive Charity Shield victory. But that does not predict the season ahead.
There are not all that many players who are capable of improving our first team. But Sneijder is definitely one of them. I understand reservations of holding back youngsters. But that need not be the case. We signed Berbatov a few years ago. Despite the huge fee he has lost his first team place to Hernandez and now Welbeck. And this on the back of a season when he was our top scorer.
Our central defence is Rio and Vidic. But that hasn’t stopped Smalling developing at a rapid pace and until recently Evans.
If there has been a failing in our youngsters in the past it is simply that they haven’t been good enough. All of them have had ample chances to impress but didn’t take it.
Anderson has himself to blame as he has been at the club four years and had ample chances to depose Giggs and Scholes. OK he had a bit of bad luck, as he tended to get injured every time he hit form. But he certainly can’t complain that he hasn’t had enough games.
Maybe the arrival of Sneijder will be the kick in the butt Anderson needs and make him take his training seriously and fight for his place in the team.
In any case Sneijder will get occasional injuries like every player and won’t play every week as he gets used to the intensity and vast number of games in the Premiership.
It is true there will be a casualty when Sneijder arrives. But I think it is more likely to be Fletcher or Carrick than Anderson and Cleverley.
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Goodbye obertan best of luck
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/941556/newcastle-complete-gabriel-obertan-signing-from-manchester-united?cc=5901
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“I bloody well guarantee that my boy Manuel Neuer wouldn’t have let either goal in”. HAHAHAHAHAHA. I thought you watched Bayern games?
For those that haven’t seen it, he ran out to the edge of his box while a defender was already there to punch a ball, and missed completely as the attacker heads into an empty net. He also let in a goal almost identical the the first City goal that was then ruled out for offside.
He didn’t want to leave Germany. We could never have got him. Let it go.
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http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/08/08/bayern-munich-0-1-borussia-monchengladbach-bundesliga-highlights-video/
Caught offside have the highlights.
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Agreed, he was never intersted in us, move on.
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The England Holland game tomorrow is called off. This should speed up the Sneijder stuff. Meetings should be taking place today.
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I feel sorry for Tom
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actually I believe it is a good thing or Tom, he can escape the drama and all the added troubles and pressure putting on the England shirt brings till later when he has established his feet and gained more experience playing at our level, essentially this will benefit both us and England in the long run
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RMJ, Agreed he last thing he needs is another game. He needs to get his head down and break into the United side, he has all the ability in the World and it is for him to take his chance.
With what’s happening in the Uk I feel so ashamed to be English. These yobs are a disgrace and should be locked up. Cameron needs to act now and be decisive, give the police the authority to do their jobs.
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Fergie has given Sneijder until 15th (mid-august). Sneijder is haggling like a gypsy… I already am starting to not be impressed…
Was Obertan possibly sold to make room (40K?) in the wage-budget for accepting (bending over to) Sneijder’s demands?
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The Sneijder on going transfer is an interesting issue now in light of the performance on young Tom. Do we still forge ahead and bring in certain quality or have faith in obvious promise. Either one is a gamble, there are no guarantees the Dutchman would be a success and I am a big fan of his. But also with Cleverley there are no certainties that he will continue with the form he has shown.
I am undecided, in an ideal World I would love Clev to shine and be the player he has the capabilities to be. With Sneijder, I love the player but would not want him to be detrimental to the progress of such talent who be our midfield for the next 10 years.
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I think Cleverly’s performance has weakened Sneijder hand in the transfer-saga. With our midfield in “shambles” at beginning of preseason, Sneijder was necessary must-have, which gave him the upper hand (pay me or else..). However, with Anderson and Cleverly showing good form, Fergie can chose to ignore Sneijder’s request and force Sneijder (if he has any desire to come to Utd) to lower his demands.
Of course, we can minimize risk by buying Sneijder (if he flops, we always have Cleverly. If Cleverly flops, we have Sneijder. If both flop, we are screwed anyway)
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I agree…it’s not surprising that Sneijder has suddenly come out and said “i would like to move to United”…we may not have the upper hand in bargaining, but we are no longer as desperate as we were before the Barca and City games…
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One thing I will say, City need to ditch Balotelli, he is a class one idiot. The main issue with him is that he isn’t half as good as he thinks he is.
What United have above any side in the Country is team spirit and with that moron City will never develop it.
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I agree, I still have yet to see in him, what I am constantly told he has. I would compare him to being at the level of a robbie keane or darren bent. Good but not world class. Yet he walks around like he is as good as ronaldo or messi. In fact I csnt believe he tried to disrespect Wilsher by saying he didnt know he is was. Wilshire is twice the player balotelli is at the moment.
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Shouldn’t you be wishing them to continue being mediocre and keep phsychotelli as opposed to improving??
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Interesting how Barca have been unloading their youth in the transfer market. It completely makes sense, since the young players have no chance of breaking through their starting 22.
Their transfer market behavior does not allow any young players to get a chance. Even though had Bojan, they went after Sanchez. In the long run, gutting out their youth ranks will hurt Barca and I think this season will be Barca’s last great season.
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i would love to agree with you but i don’t think that will be the case. Bojan’s transfer is riddled with buy back clause..he was “sold” for 12 million but can buy him back for 13 after just 3 years and it forces roma to fork out another 28 million to keep him. That is a crazy deal when you think about it and they did the same or similar with the kid that went to chelsea. I think we are probably starting to see a trend how big clubs with good youth systems will probably deal now a days especially with the new FFFP rules coming from this season on.
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I just read up on the buy back clauses. They seem to be essentially loaning out their youngster to create liquidity (cash in their bank account) — is their debt becoming unmanageable?
In two years, Barca HAVE TO buy back Bojan for 13 million, UNLESS Roma bid 28 million (which they wont). That’s 12 million + wages saved for next year.
In Oriol’s case, Chelsea gave them 5 million in liquidity but Barca can buy him back for 10 and 15 million over the next two years (if they want).
It seems like Barca are in serious money trouble by shoring up short term by creating these funky loan-schemes… in 2 years Barca could have serious money issues (having to buy back all these players) and developing their main squad.
I wonder how their wage structure must have exploded over the last 4 years.
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Supposedly Bojan was on around 100K/week…
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Also, from last summer:
Barca President Rossell (or whatever he is called):
“We found a club in debt, with liquidity problems. At this point we have to take a loan to pay the wages of the players” [loan was 190 million euros]
And Barça’s wage bill doubled in three years from 2007-2010. More on their troubles:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2013692,00.html (last year)
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they brainwash them into forcing a transfer back if they come good. ces, to a much lesser extent pique. he may have loved it at united but he always wanted to go back.
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Why is it either/or? Cleverley is in his first season at the club. He will get plenty of games in the domestic cups, a few Champions League games and the season is long enough that he is bound to get a good number of games. Even if Sneijder plays so well he is undroppable Cleverley has great chances of pushing Carrick or Anderson out of the first team.
If we sign Sneijder I see us playing two of Sneijder, Carrick and Anderson. Cleverley will get plenty of cup games and Champions League games and substitute appearances. If Anderson sucks or if any of those three get injured Cleverley will get even more games.
If Cleverley does prove to be amazing then he will become world class within a few years and then we will be able to sell Sneijder for £15 million just as we did with Ruud and are possibly gonna do with Berbatov.
If you take out the financial side of things buying Sneijder is a win-win.
He makes up for the loss of experience and quality suffered by Scholes retirement and Giggs inevitable retirement. He also makes up for the loss of Hargreaves numerically if not in terms of position. He safeguards against the possibility that Anderson will continue to suck and Cleverley is just another youngster who shines in the pre-season but never fulfills his promise.
And if Sneijder flops or takes time to get used to the Premiership it doesn’t matter too much because Cleverley and Anderson will be the beneficiaries.
In addition if Sneijder proves to be better suited to Europe than the Premiership as was the case with Veron then it is a simple matter of allocating more domestic games to Anderson or Cleverley or Carrick.
Trust me Sneijder won’t be able to play 50 games a season. Neither will Anderson who always manages to get injured each season. And Carrick will inevitably suck the first half of the season. All this means lots of games for Cleverley.
Voted a great comment - Well Done poster.
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there is also Pogba… I keep forgetting.
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To post colver…
If we look at our central midfield options (assuming we get Sneijder)…Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson, Sneijder, Cleverly and Giggs…SAF will generally pick 2 from those 6 (perhaps even 3 in some games away from home), so I don’t think lack of opportunities will be a problem for any of them.
The nature of the CM position, specially with the pace of the EPL means that there will be a lot of rotation, suspension and injuries. It is no surprise that SAF rotates his CMs so much.
Also keep in mind that Giggs in unlikely to play the number of games he played last year. Fletcher will play more, but we have lost Scholes and Gibbo is likely to leave too.
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Right now more than anything I want Fergie to sort out pogba’s future…he is right now i feel ready to make the next step ..which would mean a loan of some sorts at some club either in the championship or in a team like wigan and such…i think he needs to be blooded even if it means we wont be available till next year and it will be a true indicator of where his future lies
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He’s not ready mate, he drives the coaches barmy!
His positioning and concentration are letting him down apparently. Also his temperament is suspect, reserves til Jan or maybe next summer.
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United have offer accepted for 33 million for Sneijder. Personal (re?)-negotiation underway. Done within a week.
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I disliked that
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Are all my friends in Manchester safe? heard about troubles there.. So worried. Also to all friends across England..
Not sure what is causing those problems.. so probably shouldn’t comment. Just be safe..
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The press are overblowing it a tad, its not the war zone they are trying to make it out to be, but its still pretty bad. I live in south london, and yesterday there was alot of shit going down in a place called croydon, which is literally 10/15 mins away from me, with more disturbances expected tonight.
But its not as if your life is in danger going outside, just the work of a few scumbags with nothing better to do, targetting shops to loot and burn.
If the police werent so fucking incompetent this would have been all done days ago, as it is now, its spready throughout this whole bloody country.
Really is sick whats going on, but tbh you could see something like this was coming, especially in london. Just feel seriously pissed off that the people of manchester have had to join in, and disgrace and destroy our city. The southern scum you expect it from, but not from us mancs. Sad sad day, i just hope OT is safe, as its apparently all going off literally right round the corner from there.
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Apparently things are kicking off in manchester now. Christ sake, just what the fuck is wrong with some people. I half expect it down here in london, but up in manchester?
Seriously hope theyve got security up outside old trafford, as its all kicking off literally round the corner from there so ive heard. Anybody fucking tries it there though, theyre gonna be dead men walking, nobody fucks with united.
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Rumours on twitter united, city and edl firms are joining up to tackle the rioters! Didn’t really expect to see this in England, I am surprised.
First Sweden got fucked up, then Oslo, now the whole of England?? What the fuck is happening to this World!
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Not too surprising mate, weve had problems like this before, albeit back in the 80s, but its been brewing a while. Too much scum that should be locked up, and were so bloody soft with our sentences, and our benefits, that its all been allowed to kick off.
The police are useless at the best of the times, and right now theyre apparently leaving whole areas totally deserted free for the looters to do what we want.
We can bet if it was eton or chelski, ie the upper class areas being burnt to the ground, the police would be doing something alright, on personal demands by the PM.
This country and indeed the world is just so fucked.
If thats the case, then im fucking relieved. No fucking rioter is gonna want to get on the bad side of a few hundred pissed off reds protecting their beloved ground. Good for them i say, if i was up there id feel like fucking cracking heads myself.
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I wanna come to Manchester and fight, not because I support violence but because I want to protect my ground and help this country some way. I love England, and I love Manchester, I wish this will stop soon.
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Texted my cousin who lives up near OT, and hes backing up what you’ve said mate, that theres a lot of guys out and around patrolling the area, so its sounds as if theyre well protected mate. Great relief as that would just fucking kill me if i was hearing OT was under attack.
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Same here, I would fucking fly over to Manchester right away if I heard Old Trafford was under attack. The club means too much for me to hear some dickheads fuck it all up.
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Same here mate, fortunately though whilst we do have a few dickheads, its not on the scale you see here in london.
Most mancs are salt of the earth, and with united being the mecca of manchester, i think anyone responsible for trashing OT, would be as good as dead.
Never thought id ever have anything positive to say about known football hooligans, but kudos to those who have been keeping an eye on the old place.
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Long live Manchester
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4-20-12… end of world… 2012…
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West Brom is under attack aswell apparently, so i guess sundays game is off.
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While I don’t want to turn redrants into political blog, I just want to say that I understand why some people are protesting and angry about the state of the economy — when you cannot find work, pay for your house, food, clothing, and education costs go up while ones wages stagnate or decrease, one becomes desperate (and often angry).
It is a shame these people cannot just protest properly én masse and get their message of unjust inequality across… instead, they sink themselves to destroy others’ businesses and loot…
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OPTI, agree. As a young person recently finished his college course who has actively been looking for work with little success, it is a kick in the bollocks when your constantly rejected, and made to feel like a worthless piece of shit as you start to wonder what future, if any, there is ahead for you.
But theres a way of doing things, and trashing businesses and houses, especially in poor areas, is like attacking your own.
Peaceful protests are fine, this is just pure thuggishness.
I dont think much of this though has anything at all to do with what you and i have said, its just an excuse to gain sympathy. Just an excuse for the scum to do what they like.
Still though, as i said to eddy, this has been brewing up for a long time now.
The government have let it build and build, and this is the consequences.
Sad sad day for this once great country.
(Apologies also turning this into a political debate).
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The problem is though mate, even people earning can no longer afford things let alone these scumbags. Everything costs more and more and wages are either stagnating or decreasing or companies making redundancies. Fookin horrible country right now with the gap between rich and poor bigger than it’s ever been before, with more and more problems with society that’s been allowed to happen and fester for years and years until, now when it’s beyond help.
Myself and Tony had a micro moan about it on the last thread. It was about the state of grass roots football, but the problems with that are probably the exact same problems that are causing these young kids to get away with this.
The police need to be given the authority to use force where necessary and so do teachers, kids need to learn that older people ARE in control and they SHOULD be seen and not heard so to speak. Disrespectful bastards because they know the laws, and powers that be, have made their life too easy to do what the fuck they want and now they feel untouchable and in control of US.
I know 2 wrongs don’t make a right but I’d like to see every single one who’s smashed a window, set a fire or stolen anything, lined up and given one almighty fookin beating with truncheons by the police. No cameras, no social media, no journalists, no fookin questions, just do it and send them either home or to hospital if required. They wouldn’t fookin do it again.
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I agree, and I must say I love that you say “fooking”. Reminds me of Manchester, really mint
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Nobody is protesting about anything. They’re having a tearup because they are bored and thick and because the police aren’t stopping them.
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FUCK!
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I wanna watch the Manchester derby which is the week after, so fuck the end of the world!
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I know this may sound TOTALLY out of sorts, but I really miss Manchester and can’t wait to go there as soon as possible. Best city I’ve ever been in, long live Mancland!
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Glad you enjoyed it mate. Lads like yourself are welcome anytime, would rather it were people like you visiting here, then some that actually call themselves born and bred mancs, who have disgraced their city tonight.
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Just checked the latest tickets, plane and match, and if I’m lucky I may be going to the Arsenal game in 3 weeks time. Can’t fucking wait to visit the city, I love it. I just fucking love it. I’ve visited at least once every year since 2003, and I practically know the centre of town as well as my backpocket! Can’t wait to get some Mancunian air, mix with the people, have a beer and sing my heart out during the game. I don’t have too much good to say about the girls though, I really prefer Norway to that
But besides that, I don’t see any faults with the city and I wish everything settles soon. It’s basically my second home, and to hear these things sadden me incredibly. Really hope everything settles soon mate, I really do.
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The Wesley Sneijder deal is in all realities a done deal. It has dragged on and on, and like all deadline deals, it may have an adverse effect on the player and the rest of the squad. It’s like the Berbatov saga and just like the Bulgarian, Sneijder is not a simple player. We need to figure out how to fit him into the squad and we needed to trial him in preseason and fashion a system around him. That’s the problem we had with Berbatov,he had no time to settle.
I have made my opinion clear as to why I think he is not a good fit for United, but he’s definitely coming and I should probably be optimistic now and hope for the best. Definitely one of Anderson or Cleverly will be adversely affected, so I’ve made peace with that. But Sneijder better not be a flop, because he comes with serious risk and it would not just be a shame should his acquisition turn out to be truly ill advised. It would be tragic, because I really see serious potential in both Anderson and Cleverly and should they be impeded or move on and prosper elsewhere, it would be a great unnecessary loss.
Now in all this, the temptation is to accuse me of player bias. That I’m afraid competition in midfield will mean Ando and Tom, will be shown out for not being good enough. I’m not trying to selfishly protect the players. About a month ago I was one of the ppl demanding for the signature of 2 midfielders, to replace Scholes and to compete with Carrick(replace Hargreaves effectively). One of those midfielders was Luka Modric,who would have given both youngsters sleepless nights. So it’s not about selfish protection. It’s about the type of player.
Modric would fit easily and perfectly within our system and his adaptation to English football is complete. That’s the type of player I wanted. He could have been anyone else, but at least someone capable of fitting into our current system, straight away. With Sneijder,I’m of the opinion, he doesn’t fit in easily and we may need to structure a system to suit him, much like what we had to do with Berbatov(no I’m not contradicting myself Johnsom). I know most ppl who have objectively watched his career will agree with me on that. And to structure another system and discarding what we’ve been playing consistently over the last 6/7 months, is a bit regressive in my opinion.
Another issue is who do you then play alongside him should we attempt to force him into the current system. The automatic choice for 99% is Carrick. And this is where I have a problem. I don’t believe we have the personnel to play in a midfield with Sneijder,without Carrick(whose cover or competition should have been the number one priority above replacing Scholes). We basically have 2 primarily attack minded midfielders in Ando and Clev and with Sneijder that would make 3. Then you’ve got Fletcher, who is the most undisciplined footballer I’ve seen in a long time. You can’t successfully and consistently play a midfield of Sneijder and Anderson(or Cleverly). Gibson, I’m not too sure. So we may have a problem in who to play in midfield. Especially when it comes to which combinations and roles. The more i analyse it, the more worried i become. We could be headed for another season of mega rotation and illogical tactics. And consequently, bad football for the eyes. I hope I’m wrong really because i’m not too sure i can endure the painful football we experienced with narrow systems and mega rotation, up to February
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Do you think it is possible that Fergie has been exploring a new system (more attack-oriented mobile CMs) in preseason so that the (eventual arrival) Sneijder would fit right and our own guys would be ready for the change?
In preseason, we did not seem to play in the same manner of last season… or maybe I just wasn’t looking carefully enough?
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We are playing a more different system, but fact is that our current players fit the roles much better than Wesley would. If Wesley is to fit anywhere in our “new” style of play, it would be in the Rooney role, and that would be a severe waste. Anderson, Carrick, Cleverley, Rooney and Welbeck all fit in their current plays, so I don’t really see how Sneijder would settle in this.
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I don’t think it is a done deal. Time is on our side but ultimately we are relying on Sneijder to drop his wage demands and when we have Rooney on £250,000 a week it is difficult to start saying to Sneijder that he has to lower his demands.
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why? Sneijder is not our talisman and has a lot to prove before claiming he “deserves” anything near Rooney (even though Rooney is still a dick for wanting out last season, he looks re-settled and re-happy… I still do not like him as much as before his little stunt).
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Matthew 24:6 – “Before the year of destruction, the human race will do the unthinkable and destroy their own community, along with themselves”
Yeah Ian, I stole that from you.
Really surprised me that one, if it’s true I really think I should find peace with the lord. Too much shit going on about at the moment to not gain hope from someone else than just Sir Alex! 
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dont worry eddy. you dont think they brought up that verse during WWI/WWII? the world is always going down the drain. Just make sure you live life while you have it. You have plenty of time to think the world sucks. dont let it get to you yet mate i beg you.
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