Dec 03
United vs Fulham: Preview
We face Fulham in a late kick off on a Monday. I know, it can be frustrating if your team is not playing in the weekend. But that’s the way it is, and with the extra day that the lads got to rest you have to think that it should serve them well.
In case you were wondering why there was no sign of activity in this blog (in the articles part at least) it is because I am going through a very busy period. And as I mentioned a few posts before, this will be true for another week. But don’t fret. Hopefully Ahmed would drop by and give you some thoughts to ponder over and rant about. And I will chip in too. This won’t be for too long; I assure you that.
Getting back to the game. Rooney is expected to return, although I am not sure if he’d start. His absence has indeed affected us and if we are to move back to second — we are fourth at the moment — we would need him. That is not to say that we are that crap to be needing him against Fulham, but it is in the sense that he should get enough minutes under his belt before the crucial Liverpool game.
About the team composition, Tevez and Rooney should play up front with Giggs and Ronaldo in the wings. Hargreaves and Anderson will play in the middle, with our back four comprising Evra, Vidic, Rio and Brown.
Lawrie Sanchez had earlier claimed that he will go all out attack against us. We’ll have to wait and see about that. Although if that happens then we could see some space created in front.
Meanwhile, in team related news, the gaffer has hinted at not making any moves in January. But we know how often he has managed to surprise us. Again, only time will tell.
And, of course, one final word before signing off would be about the European Player of the Year award that went to Kaka. No doubt, he is a top, top player. But how the fuck did Messi make it to number three? Yes, he is an outstanding player and I am sure the kid would surpass one and all. He is the real deal. But what did he achieve with Barcelona or Argentina over the past year? I knew Ronaldo wouldn’t win it because no player from the EPL has ever won it so far. To be honest, Kaka and Milan had nothing else to play for but the Champions’ League and our players were knackered in that game. Oh well, I guess there’s no point complaining. Although I wonder if there would be any player who could ever win that prize from the Premier League.
Back to today’s game, my prediction: 2-0 to United.
And oh, let me remind you that our competition for winning that cool scarf from Savile Rogue is still on. Kindly read this post for details on how you could win one. Hurry!
- Fulham v Man Utd: Preview
- Manchester United vs West Ham: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Lyon: Preview
- Manchester United 2006/2007 Season Review
Tags: Game Preview
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:51
Really important game, we’re now in fourth for those watching the table. What’s interesting in Pool are now ahead of us, didn’t see them catch up so quickly! I’d love to see Saha get a couple, the man needs a boost of confidence like no other! Should in theory be quite straight forward, but with United you never know!
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:32
theaz no worse time for fulham to come to old trafford like today. i really feel sorry for them. Rooney needs to get back and get back to the scoring ways and for him fulham and derby will give him nuff goal scoring practice before we play the scousers.
Hope fergy and his coaching staff have learned from mistakes of under estimating teams and that he will always field his best squad whateva team we play. I havent still gotten over the fact that ronaldo wasn’t even in the bench during boltons game.
except chelsea, arsenal and liverpool have been on a free goal scoring run in the last couple of matches but with fulham and derby i expect a real harvest of goals our way as long as fergy fields his strong first eleven.
prediction,,man utd 4 fulham 0.. though i’d luv to put it at sevn, lemme give fulham a bit of respect.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:39
red ranter feel excused but please when u come back update the stats and reports page.
December 3rd, 2007 at 13:32
Fergie is just stirring u talk as usual. I definitely know that he will at least buy a striker. He is experiencd to know that he needs at least 4 good strikers (’99 squad) to fight for the treble. Right now we have only two strikers ( not including one legged saha) So we need to BUY. PLEASE GO FOR BERBATOV!!!
December 3rd, 2007 at 13:41
All united fans please lets gang up to convince fergie to buy BERBATOV (solution to our jigsaw). Did you see the touches again yesterday. They are coming back to him. RR please post this as a topic 4 discussion. ” BERBATOV FOR UNITED”
December 3rd, 2007 at 14:33
[Jameso]
It’s been discussed to death on this site already mate. Head over here
And please mate, turn off too many caps in your comments, in future.
December 3rd, 2007 at 15:32
Sorry mate just knew bout the site 4rm a collegue in the office, so i take time once in a while to post. Again mate, apologies for the caps. Nice work you r doing
December 3rd, 2007 at 15:50
[Jameso]
Cheers. And welcome!
December 3rd, 2007 at 16:40
God i hope anderson starts today.united really flows when he plays.i dont know how fit rooney is but i would like to see saha(yup saha!)and tevez upfront today with rooney for two reasons.saha needs confidence like no striker has ever needed before.and secondly i dont want to see rooney get himself injured again because that would be his 3rd this season alone and i prefer players to be eased back than put straight back into the side regardless of the length they spent on the sidelines.4 place!wtf!how??? liverpool and arsenal are looking good so tonight we cannot drop and we wont.prediction 4 1 with saha 2,ronaldo 1,anderson 1.come on u reds!
December 3rd, 2007 at 16:45
Tonight’s game is crucial. Last season we hammered them 5-1 in the corresponding fixture. I would love to see a repeat of this tonight. Rooney should start straight away. We have no more chances to gamble with. Arsenal are not losing points as we would have hoped to. And Liverpool - Chelsea - Man City are still keeping up with the chase. At this point last year, the race had been reduced to a two horse race. This year’s seems to be a bit difficult one. United cannot afford to drop any further points in December and so we need to treat every game with the ruthlessness they deserve AND THAT HAS TO START TONIGHT!
December 3rd, 2007 at 18:53
Formation for today should be VDS; Brown-Vidic-Ferdinand-Evra; Giggs-Anderson-Hagreaves-Ronaldo; Rooney-Tevez
December 3rd, 2007 at 19:09
Jameso I think Berbatov is brilliant and evrything as well but he was terrible yesterday so I’m not sure what you’re talking about, and even then he’s probably not a big team player. He has only scored 3 goals against any of the top 4 teams in his last two seasons(last year for spurs and the year before for Leverkusen) and he goes missing in games regularly, sometimes for the whole match.
December 3rd, 2007 at 19:10
http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=67835
intresting if true
December 3rd, 2007 at 19:21
honestly, i would not care if we lost wes brown, hundreds of right backs out there, and 99% of them are better, its beeter for us, as it gives danny simpson and the twins a chance instead of wes browns mediocracy game in game out, im honestly, worried each time he is on the ball, hes just plain bland, and boring, like carrick, only carrick has his moments and brown rarely does, sure he has been ok for us this season, but at manchester united, ok is only good for second string, so i hope its true dan
December 3rd, 2007 at 19:41
Brown has been a loyal and good servant for United. He is a CB who was forced to play RB and did it to the best of his abilities. Sure he is no Neville and he does not light the house on fire but he is damned consistent and doesn’t make too many glaring mistakes. I place him in the “Get of his Back” contingent with O’Shea and Fletcher. All three have paid their dues for the club and the supporters. None of them are flashy or outstanding but they leave their heart and soul on the pitch and occasionally come up with a gem moment that resonates. I’d hate to lose Brown as he was great depth in the back four which is always great to have.
December 3rd, 2007 at 19:43
anyone know a decent stream channel for the match later on?
December 3rd, 2007 at 20:18
i dont know grognard, you make vaild points, but to me wes brown is a bit over rated, sure he is a great back up, but as a starter, then your pushing it, hes been consistent this season yes, but all those performances, ive seen many mistakes, i.e crossing which is piss poor at best, bar the lucky ones, i love o’shea and fletch, but brown for me, is another kieran richardson
and chris, heres a site http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=2891&part=sports im using the 1st one on sopcast, great quality, though join quick to avoid a long wait
December 3rd, 2007 at 20:34
Confirmed Tonights team: VDS, wes-rio-vida-pat, ronnie-owen-Anderson-giggsy, carlitos-Roon
December 3rd, 2007 at 20:38
Lineup:
————————EVDS————————
—Brown—–Ferdinand—–Pique——Evra—
Ronaldo—-Anderson—-Hargreaves—Giggs
——————–Rooney—–Tevez———————-
Subs: Kuszczak, O’Shea, Fletcher, Carrick, Saha
December 3rd, 2007 at 20:52
thank god anderson luis de abreu oliveira is playing instead of micheal carrick, god even his name is plain
December 3rd, 2007 at 21:13
goal by ronaldo.great playing by man u in the opening minutes.
December 3rd, 2007 at 21:50
buhumbug, what a crap game.
December 3rd, 2007 at 21:54
great goal from Ronny but the lads have gotta step it up!! they jst seem a bit lethargic at the mo? Annoyed Nani aint even on the bench as giggsy looks relatively useless again 2nite! Would def be a good thing if W.Brown was to move on, hes a fuckin liability 75% of the time.
December 3rd, 2007 at 21:58
dan, what game are you watching, because this game is fantastic, im enjoying it, its fast paced free flowing, attacking football, if you find this boring then what on earth intrests you
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:00
To tell you the truth I think Brown is a more than decent CB and we would need him as a back-up for sure if we’re playing in the champions league as his experience would be vital, Simpson or Pique would be likely to make a mistake in a high profile game as they are inexperienced. Redsnake Nani deserves to be out of the team because of his performance against Sporting, all young players need a good kick up the arse once in a while.
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:37
carrick in for rio? what formation are we playin right now? i know evra is already out and has been replaced with O’Shea as well as Saha for Rooney…
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:47
That’ll just mean that Hargreaves goes to right back and Wes Brown goes to centre back.
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:56
i was just wondering if we might try a 3-4-3 formation with ronny upfront going for a hat-trick (and premiership leadin 9th goal) - would have been fun to watch… also with only 2 goals and none let it liverpool would still have a better goal diff. than us and would be ahead of us if they win the game they have in hand…
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:58
Fuckin hell its so annoying that we miss so many chances.tevez,and saha both guilty and even rooney.ronaldo doesnt need to dive he could have got his hatrick.good performance from everyone giggs was pretty good with his through balls.ronaldo is better than kaka,he has so much more in his tank.we could have scored much more.
December 3rd, 2007 at 22:59
But we’ll beat them in 2 weeks time. It’ll be fine, it’s early in the season and I can see us winning the double, not good that Evra and/or Rio got injured, especially during the christmas period, when players often get rushed back. It’s amazing that Ronnie still hasn’t scored a hat-trick with the amount of games he’s scored a double in. As long as we win and create chances what’s the problem Taehr?
December 3rd, 2007 at 23:06
Conor: Just don’t want to see us get caught out one of these nights. Whilst our team are an immence attacking threat i feel our lack of physical stature will cost us points against teams who will be able to out muscle us. When giggs is in the side it fucks up the balance as half the time (tonight inc.) Rooney has to drop bk to left wing whilst Giggs dissapears! All im sayin is that as far as im concerned Nani should always be on the bench to provide a potential threat. The Arsenal game is a decent example, With 20 mins to go Giggs was runnin on empty-Nanis introduction would definately have benefited us.
December 3rd, 2007 at 23:07
I couldnt help this.carrick played two beautiful passes to giggs and saha today.that showed terrific vision.
December 3rd, 2007 at 23:27
Redsnake: I am tired of this Giggs vs Nani comparison. Nani requires at least a season more to get a nod ahead of Giggs. Look at the kind of passes Giggs played today. His intelligence is unmatchable. Nani comes no where near Giggs’ positioning. Nani should be on the field only when Giggs is burnt out.
December 4th, 2007 at 0:32
I missed the game, can someone tell me how Rooney did?
December 4th, 2007 at 1:31
Kurt; Rooney was alright, not outstanding. To be expected after such a layoff. He’ll be himself in two games.
A strong performance in the first twenty minutes by United but then they took the pedal of the the metal a bit. They still created some chances afterwards but they could have had 3 or 4 goals after just fifteen minutes. I love Tevez’s work rate and creativity but he really needs to work on his finishing. I don’t know if it’s lack of composure or just impatience but he needs to calm down and aim his shots better. The setup from Brown that he shot right at Niemi was a perfect example. Instead of one timing it like a hockey player, he should have taken a split second to stop it and aim for a corner. He is also showing his weakness in the air. He’s actually a good header if the ball is only 6 feet high but if he needs to really get up their, he lacks the vertical jump to do so. After all, he is short for a striker. Had you given those half dozen chances he squandered today to a real poacher like Huntelaar, United would have won 5 or 6-0. Forget Saha, he is waste material out there.
Now regarding the penalty that wasn’t involving Ronaldo. Don’t get me wrong because Ronny is my second favorite player on the planet but the lad made his bed years ago and now he has to lie in it. This is a clear message to all serial divers in football. Your cheating will hurt you in the long run. You will acquire a reputation that you can never escape from. Ronny was fouled today but he has a rep that follows him. To give him a yellow card though was adding salt to the wound. In fairness, Brown mauled a Fulham player in the box in the first half and never got called so lets be fair out there.
Honestly, I am a little tired of Fergie bitching about the refs not calling this and not calling that and not protecting his prized pets. When asked about the Brown foul he conveniently claimed to have not seen it. Give me a break Fergie, hipocracy does not suit you.
As for the game, United showed tons of tricks and style today but lacked the quality of finishing. They need to work on that. Also, Anderson and some of the other midfielders need to try taking a few shots from outside the box like Danny Murphy did. Keep teams and opposing goalkeepers honest. Surprise them a bit instead of always try to crack the back four. Sometimes a Nani moment is just there waiting for some of them to take advantage of.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:50
Hey adil alhinai, did you see that Wes Brown tackle as Ronaldo was trying to keep the ball in… Only two other players will lay a perfect tackle like that Rooney and Vidic
December 4th, 2007 at 5:58
tevez looked a tad bit selfish out there today to me. Well, to be honest, i couldnt really tell if it was frustration or him just being selfish, but he definitely took away two or three chances just by holding onto the ball and taking a weak shot.
I dont really want to bring up a sore subject for debate, but I have to ask anyway. Grognard, what did you think of carricks performance? I thought it was inspired. I think i have come around to the way you see things, him not being united material and all, but i really do believe he provides so much more on the pitch then fletcher does. Please dont take that as a shot at fletcher either. I love the kid. He’s what every football player for united should strive to be. Like you said grognard, he leaves his heart and soul on that pitch every time he steps on, but I think carrick still provides a little more offensive threat.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:28
Hey u all don’t u think we are all being hard on carrick, he had a good game. Saha is finished article. RR Do you have the update on evra,s injury. Hope it is not too bad. What of Rio is it bad too. We got Liverfool to come, and we need our best players.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:34
All the time we play well,someone has to mention giggs vision,intelligence,tthrough pass,name it.ask yourselves a question.what could we have done without ronaldo? like ronaldo giggs is a winger and should have a few goals or assists.he has one goal and one assist.experience should not be an excuse for poor perfomances week in week out.the team is carrying the man.look at nani.2 goals,3 assist.how about that?with 4 games played,yet giggs has played 13.if u look at arsenal and the way they are playing,you will attribute it to commitment and hunger which giggs does not have.flamini for gilberto has worked magic.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:57
Comma; I have said I would rufuse to talk about Carrick due to the fire storm it seems to create. But as my view of his performance is positive, I will add the following; He looked more focused and made a few very nice passes. It was encouraging but having watched him for almost a year and half, I will hold back my glee and wait to see if he can find offensive consistency and focus on a regular basis.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:02
busingye; Enough bashing of Giggs. The man is a legend and he MUST get our respect. He clearly is near the end of a great career and if Fergie had a clear cut choice to replace him as a starter he would. Unfortunately Nani is not ready yet. He is too young and he makes many mistakes. Giggs still has a lot of smarts out there and even if he doesn’t score, his passing, crossing and field sense is still great. This will probably be the last season where he starts. I for one want to enjoy it even if he isn’t Ryan Giggs circa 1999.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:49
[Busingye]
I think you are being a little hard on giggsy, he has served us for what almost 20yrs. He is 30+, Ronaldo is still in his early 20s. Ronaldo is not playing half of what giggs played when he was his age. To play over 700 games for Utd & only the brink of breaking a record set by the Legend ( Sir Bobby Charlton ) is enough to propel him into any hall of fame.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:53
[Grognard]
Well said. By that statement, you know pple who are life long united fans, even before the ferguson era.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:12
I thought Carrick played more telling passes in his 15 minutes than Anderson did in the rest of the match, actually anderson and hargreaves combined. I like Hargo’s work ethic, but he doesn’t look all that composed when he gets the ball, much prefers to just do the 5-yarder to the other CMF.
I don’t really know about the penalty/yellow card. Niemi didn’t get ball or player, but I didn’t think it wa sthe strikers job to be able to hurdle onrushing keepers who aren’t playing the ball. Further, if you watch Niemi, his arms are raised, yet the ball is on the ground. So what exactly is he reachign for? My opnion is he m eabnt to foul Ronaldo, missed, realising he missed jumped up and protested his innocence. I guess it’s good goal keeping. As for Brown in our area, 100% penalty, ref missed it. Anyone else thought Rooney was hilarious with his little tantrum at being called offside/being subbed?
December 4th, 2007 at 10:17
We played very well last night.
I can’t help sounding like a Andeson disciple, but I think he is just awesome. It’s scary to think what he’ll be like in a couple of seasons if he progress like he does. Watching him is like watching Ruud Gullit play…”poetry in motion”.
I hope the club can meet an agreement with Brown. He is an awesome CB that does a very good job at RB. Given he is no Evra, but he provides solidity at the back whenever he plays.
Carrick played well last night. He still have lots to offer United.
I know a lot of people will disagree with this, but, imo, OFFENSIVELY, Carrick and Anderson provides more than Hargo and Anderson. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that he is better than Hargo (because all round I think Hargo edges it), but he has the vision and ability for those sweet piercing passes that Hargo does not have.
On a personal note, I get pissed off every time LFC supporters mention how amazing and LOYAL Steven Gerrard is. We all know he’s not. Let’s wait until Giggs reach his record appearance before we criticise him. That’s the best way to show loyalty. His main role in the team nowadays is to keep the team’s composure. He does it very well.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:46
Anderson is on his way to being one of the best midfielders in the world. but could they please take him aside and give him a seperate training on SHOOTING. I think if he comes to terms with it, he would be one of, if not the best in the world. Remember he is still only 19.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:13
grog and jameso should clearly understand me on the giggs point.am not saying he is not a legend,but if you want to win trophies,forget history and concetrate on winning.this needs effort and stats dont lie.saying ronaldo isnt playing what giggs played at 22 is a joke.ronaldo at 22 is considered the best in the world.giggs?thats beside the point.i see you criticising carrick,who does more than double what giggs does.oh,isnt cantona a legend? why did he leave united early? and peter schmeichel,to be remembered well.giggs should do that
December 4th, 2007 at 12:11
I think last nights match was Cristiano ronaldo 2 fulham 0….rooney was crap and he deserved the sub..any1 with news bout why evra was taken off.
saha ooh saha..go back to fulham u are a liabilty.
December 4th, 2007 at 12:34
{busingye}
cant agree with u any more. people who are rooting for giggz should trhink twice. He is too old for this and i think he’ll be effective from the bench like the game versus sporting. and if its playing legends for the sake then lets get chalton, solsjaer and all the other legends back and see wea we finish,
sorry to compare the team with arsenal but what makes them be what they are today is players like viera,lujmberg,henry,and that dutchman knew thea time was up and all moved on, i think if giggz wont be comfy coming off the bench then he should go to fc united as he said.
December 4th, 2007 at 13:33
[Man utd jaluo]
Relating to what Grog and i put on giggsy; we r not saying you should depend on legends, but who will play there; is it nani who is not ready to take the next steps, cos 4 me with nani, it is 1 step foward, and 2 steps backwards.
December 4th, 2007 at 13:41
man utd jaluo.nuff said.comparing nani and giggs is rubbish,but when one is young,more useful in terms of goals and assists with room to improve,it is wiser to give him mo games as opposed to a poor,declining legend.am not slagging giggs but am tired of him being carried by the team.wenger sold vieira for fabregas.look at him now.this issue of legends is blocking our football and style of play.take out ronaldo and see how the team looks like.poor.its time for players to carry more responsibility,and if they realise they hurt the team ask to be bit players from the bench.saha is doing it,so should ryan.
December 4th, 2007 at 14:56
Regarding the ‘injuries’, I seem to remember that hearing somewhere that they were due an illness going round the squad.
Maybe someone can confirm that
December 4th, 2007 at 17:40
I agree with you grognard. This is only one game and from his tract record of mediocrity, he needs many more performances like this to sway me back. I just want to show that he does still provide something for the team when he plays, and is not like a veron who played well somewhere else and was a bust here. No, at 17m or 25m (whatever it was) he was just a bad buy for that money and given his career.
Anyway, sorry if i made you upset. I do remember that you said you wouldnt comment on him, but what doesnt cause a firestorm when talked about here? Thats what this place is for. Id much rather argue with someone who likes the team that with someone who could care less and who’s arguement is a little more than ‘he sucks cause hes a red.’
December 4th, 2007 at 18:04
Giggs just had a bad game or a couple of them. I still think you people saw him against Blackburn where he danced through the Blackburn defense showing extreme close control and ability..I think there are very few players in the world who can do that in such tight situations…I am not saying that he should be playing/starting all games..But ManU supporters dont bark on players as Chelsea supporters does for a couple of bad performances..We know what he can do and how good he is..
Nani is still good and may be better but as Grog points out he need to adapt to EPL and learn to keep the ball. He is more like a younger Ronaldo who used to lose the ball often. We cannot afford to give him cover as Evra plays a high line on that left hand side.. Young ronaldo was always covered in the back by an agile and non compromising Neville..
2 goals and 3 assists are stats and the game on the field is far far above from the stats.
December 4th, 2007 at 18:20
RR, so strange; not even i post on the match. Hope what u r doing aint straneous mate.
December 4th, 2007 at 18:50
Everyone, even if Giggs wasn’t the legend that he is today then he should still deserve our support. 2 years ago everyone was saying that Giggs was done, he has lost all his pace and that completely ruins what his game is about, but then last year he proved everyone wrong and was one of the best players in the league, what’s stopping him from doing that again soon? He’s shown flashes of brilliance this season and he definitely has good vision and close control plus he’s the only player in our team, bar neville, who can cross a ball so he hasn’t just became useless all of a sudden. Nani is too wasteful with the ball right now and that can be easily fixed during training if he works on it so in truth he doesn’t need games yet until he’s ready.
December 4th, 2007 at 19:24
busingye; No mate, you missed the point. Giggs is a legend and he should be given more respect but my point was that at this time in point, we have nobody better to replace him at LMF or LW. Nani will probably be a great player one day but he is clearly not ready yet. At least Giggs gives us experience and composure on the pitch when we need it. He still has some tricks in his bag too although he shows them less and less often these days. To compare him to Ronaldo is just so unfair. Not just because of the age but because of the defined role Fergie has given each to play. You have this notion that because he plays the same position as Ronny but on the opposite side of the pitch, that he should do what Ronny does. You couldn’t be more wrong. His job is to give us more width and to make telling passes into our forwards. Ronny has a free role to do what he wants in the opposing third of the field.
I also said that this will be Giggs last season as a starter as it will be for Paul Scholes and probably Gary Neville too. I have been much harsher on Scholes because of the style of play he is now using as opposed to how well he is playing. Giggs at least is trying to play a positive offensive style. He clearly has flashes of greatness but lets face it, he is slowing down. Lets stop being greedy and respect what he has done and what he has meant to the fans. We don’t suffer that much with him out there so lets look at other areas of concern that are far more glaring, like a third forward that can score, our lack of depth at RB and LB and our inability to kill off our opponents with better finishing.
December 4th, 2007 at 19:36
Comma; There was absolutely no offense taken mate. I just wrote a post a week ago where I claimed I was fed up talking and arguing about Carrick and I vowed to stop writing negative criticism about the player. That is why I originally wrote that I was hesitant about offering my review of his play. I will say this though, It’s really not the player that bothers me so, it is the price paid for him when I think what we could have got for that amount of money instead. That’s not his fault, but it’s not mine either if I don’t feel he is playing up to that investment. Football is a business first and loyalty and respect for the supporters comes second. Carrick was a poor business decision in terms of money invested and services rendered. He is a good player, but not what I feel a lot of us were expecting because of the money involved.
I really hate the comparison of him with Hargo. Hargo is a different player whose role was very well defined before he was bought. He was bought as a defensive midfielder. His role is to sweep up and win the ball. To compare his passing with Carrick is incredibly unfair. It’s like comparing Rio’s goal scoring touch with Rooney’s. Hargreaves is fantastic and he is just what we needed most. Let him win the ball and let others like Anderson create.
December 4th, 2007 at 19:38
Conor; Well said about Giggs and Nani. I totally agree.
December 4th, 2007 at 23:12
Well, since Celtic are already through I thought we could discuss our possible opponents in the next round, and looking at the possibilities, there doesn’t look to any particularly big teams we could play, with the most dangerous ones being Real Madrid or Sevilla if they don’t finish top, other than that, Marseille, Celtic, Rosenborg,Rangers/Lyon,Olympiakos/Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce/PSV are our options. And with Lyon and PSV becoming worse, and the fact that the rest are relatively inexperienced in regards to the knockout round, except Werder Bremen who may be slightly difficult, the next round doesn’t look too difficult. By the way does anyone else think its weird that JB hasn’t been on here in a while?
December 5th, 2007 at 3:30
I absolutely loved Rooney’s reaction to being offside/subbed
Absolutely loved it… he wanted to score.. he wasn’t himself but who thought he would be back in time for this match anyway.
He did the right thing by shaking Fergie’s hand when he was subbed and it just shows his passion for the game.. and i know he’d play for free..
December 5th, 2007 at 4:49
giggs is a legend…. but u guys dont need me to tell u that!!!! its amazing how he never won any personal accolades ( i remember reading zidane say that he wuld probably have never made the france starting line-up had giggs been french!!!)…… ronaldo still has some way to go before he tops giggsy in my book….. but thats not the point of this post….. why I think giggs is playing is because he is still the best player we have in his position(much like gorgnard and comma)…… nani has the potential, but as i have pointed earlier, he still lacks the composure to play regularly…… he gets caught in 2 minds far too often and seems to drift in and out of the game…….. he needs time, he isnt ready to shoulder the burden of being a first-team regular…… giggs on the other hand is calm and composed on the pitch, he can still produce moments of magic (granted, they are less frequent now) and above all, provides excellent balance to the team!
i think, we shuld all lay off carrick debate for a while…. that way when we revisit the topic, we will have more the a handful of minutes he spent on the pitch to judge him by….. i dont really have any comment on his performance from yesterday (didnt catch it….. stupid lecture!!!)
one more thing…. about our problems up front (well percived problem anyway…) i was wondering how good this welbeck kid is…. coz he has been pretty good for the U-18 this term and Sir Alex did say he’s one for the future…… anybody have any comments on that one????
December 5th, 2007 at 6:38
Conor; Yes I have noticed that JB has been mysteriously absent. Perhaps the bloke has gone on vacation or is just fed up arguing with me. Whatever the case, I do miss his contribution except for when he is on a mission to piss me off that is. He’s a knowledgeable footy fan and I hope he returns soon.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:48
Samg; Welbeck is just too far off for me to give a damn. I am really only concerned over what we can do to make the team better for now and next season. We have quite a few young players in the system right now that have very bright futures. But the way we are acting as far as being a big club makes me wonder if they will ever really get that great chance to excel at the highest level. We seem far too interested in buying expensive foreigners and slotting them in to positions that makes it difficult for young home grown talent to ever get a real crack at making the starting eleven. Their is no patience to let young players grow in to the position. Look how we all find ways to criticize Nani and Pique whenever they make a mistake. We are obsessed with winning everything and right bloody now. So what do we do, we loan them out or eventually sell them like Giuseppi Rossi. It’s a real shame
I like what Wenger did last year at Arsenal. He sacrificed the season in order to give the young kids a chance to play and learn. That is the only way to go. This money thing has got to stop. It’s killing the game at every level. And we supporters are as much to blame for it as the owners and coaches of the clubs. We are all setting unrealistic and very short term expectations. So, I rather doubt we will ever see Welbeck play for United. I hop I’, wrong.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:58
have u guyz noticed how ronaldo makes goal scoing look simple, and should tevez be training a long syd him since he is wasting many open goalscoring oppotunities.and ones which would have proved vital and crucial.
grognard, i would luv to agree with u on giggz but its hard, its as simple as the guy is not playing at per with the rest and thats why i say bench role is good for him, legend or no legend, as long as u aint perfoming no first team. lets rem that what made ronaldo get consistency and the level he’s currently playing at is coz he played game after game and thats what nani needs and with nani on the pitch we always know we can get a goal.not with giggz(he is a waste of space) and as long as we play him we’ll always look like a team that can drop points, we need to be water tight and perfoming in all areas and i dont take the argument that LW is not an important position.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:32
slow news day
December 5th, 2007 at 12:22
[Man utd Jaluo]
Legends or no legends, Grog & I are just sayin there is no replacement for giggs right now. Nani is not ready.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:39
[man utd jaluo says:]
“…lets rem that what made ronaldo get consistency and the level he’s currently playing at is coz he played game after game…”
We ended up in 2rd place in the league. Now, we cannot really afford that because competition is much tougher and we are aiming for 1st in the league and 1st in the CL.
—-
Grognard, not to pick up the Carrick debate again, but I think you mis-understood me about the Carrick and Hargo comparison. The point is not who’s better, but that both still have a role in the team because of their differences.
December 5th, 2007 at 17:39
I’m sorry man utd jaluo but saying things like Giggs is waste of space is plain stupid and the fact that you say “as long as u aint perfoming no first team” and then go on to say that Nani should start for us shows that you pay more attention to stats rather than overall input into the game. Of the assists that Nani got most of them were corners, so don’t bring up the argument of “Who has more assist than the other” because overall this season I’d say Giggs has played marginally better than Nani and still deserves to play ahead of him. And about Tevez becoming a better finisher, he’s never been that great a finisher anyways and most people new that before he came to us, and so I don’t think he will ever be a 20-goal-a-season striker, you’re born that way, but I’m perfectly happy with him in our team the way he is now.
December 5th, 2007 at 18:11
Well said Conor on #69