Apr 28
Worry over Rooney and Vida | Evra’s Abuse | Curbs Plans Weak Squad
Small Monday roundup for you all.
The official site has still been cagey about the Rooney and Vidic situation. The Sun claims that Rooney is only 30% fit. But then, only the Sun is capable of zeroing in on such a percentage.
It’s been a strange 7 days for Vidic, though. First he gets laid off by a stomach bug, and then gets kneed by that Ivorian thug — all freakish ‘injuries’. He got hit badly on his face, but I suspect he will return on Tuesday. What’s with our defenders and Champions’ League semi-finals, anyway?
An unfortunate development came about after the game, as you might all know by now. A minor fight broke out between Chelsea stewards and United players. The press, of course, were quick to brand our players as thugs. As it turns out, Evra was allegedly racially abused. It’s a distraction we could all now do without. Chelsea and United will look into the CCTV footage and decide appropriately.
Some good news, as Alan Curbishley looks to play a patched up squad at OT. Don’t bet on it though. The next two Premier League games will hinge on our performance against Barcelona. A win will send spirits sky high; the fatigue that’s threatening to rip our season apart could be forgotten in a flash, and we could be back to the swagger of old. Lose the game, and we could end up making things a bit more difficult than it actually is.
And in the midst of our dreadful form, there is a silver lining — Cristiano Ronaldo wins the PFA Player of the year award for the second year running. Of course, it counts for little if we don’t win the Premiership, at least. Although, his value to our season cannot be overstated.
That’s all for the day. Join us tomorrow as we preview the game and don’t forget to join in the discussion in the comments.
- Rooney’s return, United aim to thrash Sporting, injury list, vote or face hellfire
- West Ham v Man Utd: Preview
- Everton vs Reds: Appalling But Three Points
- United Players out of Favour With Supporters
- Blackburn v Manchester United - Preview
Tags: Daily Roundup
April 28th, 2008 at 10:09
I’ve just read several articles saying evra threw the first punch, but thankfully, we now have video evidence proving that it was in fact the chelsea staff doing so…
see the incident here…. http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/9VKV5V78PJYKG84B
let’s now forget about this and hope for a wonderful night at OT tomorrow…
April 28th, 2008 at 10:25
Those West Ham injuries are more than welcome…
April 28th, 2008 at 10:25
I’ve just read several articles saying evra threw the first punch, but thankfully, we now have video evidence proving that it was in fact the chelsea staff doing so…
see the incident here…. http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/9VKV5V78PJYKG84B
let’s now forget about this and hope for a wonderful night at OT tomorrow…
April 28th, 2008 at 11:59
I read somewhere that the Rooney injury is an aggravation of the injury he picked up at Blackburn. I wish we had rested him at Chelsea instead of Ronaldo and Tevez. The fitness of Rooney going into the barca match I believe will be decisive. If he plays and is fit then we will win I am positive.
Vidic should be fine. Because of the concussion the injury seemed worse than it was.
Definitely a result on Tuesday will lift our spirits. That will put us only three wins away from another double and the hunger of the players should be able to get us through the exhaustion and fatigue and we will get a second wind.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:15
I am not so sure Rooney wont play coz we all know wat it takes for him to miss a match.I think he will play no doubt and i am so certain we will win at home.Barca were superb but could not get a good result against an oout of sorts United.I think Curbishley will return the favour we did him last season of fielding the Richardsons.
We will win the league thas for sure and these things happen in football.We have hit a bad patch and we will rise again.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:54
Strange that Vidic didn’t train if he’s alright. Given the lack of football he’s had recently, it’s worrying.
For me Rooney is a major doubt. Fergie has a problem with both of them, because if he sticks them on at the start and neither can make it all the way through, that’s 2/3rds of his subs not used strategically.
As strange as it is, after seeing the past few matches, I’m actually calling for old heads tomorrow night. Scholes should be fresh, and motivated, plus 1 yellow wouldn’t rule him out :)! Hargo is a doubt, given 2 games in 6 days is a new thing for him, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out there. Now here’s my slightly controversial selection: Giggs in the midfield at the start, in a 4-3-3:
–Brown-Rio-Vidic-Evra
—–Hargo/Ando——
–Scholes—Giggs—-
-Ronaldo—Park/Nani-
—Rooney/Tevez——
I think Giggs’ main attributes that remain are his composure, intelligence and reputation. Barca will respect and fear his ability to pick out a pass much more than his ability to run at them. So, I say stick him back into the role he played alot 2 seasons ago, sit in the centre circle as an outlet and look to play the forward 3 in at pace. He doesn’t have to run much, doesn’t need pace and can still be very valuable.
Am seriously worried we’re tailing off again this season, and this year you can’t blame the squad really. I’d of never thought it possible, but I fear Fergie isn’t getting the boys up to it. Hpoefully he’ll prove me (and everyone else) that he still has it.
April 28th, 2008 at 13:12
if Rooney doesnt play , i think barca will beat us. every match
without rooney i feel like we are naked.
April 28th, 2008 at 15:02
[Beachryan]
Agree with you on playing Giggs tomorrow. He still has the ability to throw in killer passes. His ability to split the defences is immense. Giggsy’s experience in Europe was sorely missed in the first leg. I thought Scholes and Giggs were automatic choices to the away game. I was baffled to see him on the bench that night. I only hope Fergie has not lost trust in his ability and it was only because of the Chelsea game that Fergie left him on the bench.
I can’t understand why the gaffer wants to play Ronaldo as a striker. He has been great all season playing in the right wing.
I am very nervous about tomorrow’s game. Let the super duo recover fast, as they always do. Waiting to see the lads thrash them 4-0.
April 28th, 2008 at 15:13
I warned all u guys this would happen, we are crumbling, well have fun:,WE DONT HAVE A STRIKER for the barca game ROONEY IS INJURED,Now
Barca will murder us. Trust me I predicted we will lose at chelski,Now i have that same feelin
we are done for this year See you next year fellas.Its the fault of the entire team because we rely on ronaldo and rooney heavily
well ALL of u out there Enjoy our demise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Adios
April 28th, 2008 at 15:27
Well Master, Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
April 28th, 2008 at 15:35
since when did we start relying on Rooney?
April 28th, 2008 at 15:39
Tin Man, well if rooney is injured are you going to Score the goals?????
April 28th, 2008 at 15:49
Mas_ter… good spirit, mate. you’ve shown real loyalty
April 28th, 2008 at 15:53
This talk of bringing back Giggs is madness! He gives the ball away far more than any other player! Just think back to Blackburn. What we need is a high tempo fast quick passing game to blow Barca away, we need an early goal and im afraid Giggs no longer gives that to us thats why I would drop him for Hargreaves. I love Giggs but I just dont think he is up to it anymore.
April 28th, 2008 at 15:56
Utsav :I know what loyalty means ,By the way I’m not supporting barca I thought u guys were smart enough to know that
We should have got an Extra striker in the january transfer window:Now we are screwed with rooney injured
I just hope you understand where this anger is coming from:SO before predicting another united win
we need to be realistic.
April 28th, 2008 at 16:05
It is simply unbelievable Vida is going through all this. If he is not there tomorrow, Hargo will play RB and we really need him in the midfield. He defends well and is physical. That will be important against Deco, Xavi, and Iniesta. If we do not rattle them, they will get the confidence that we do not want them to have.
I am glad Evra was allowed to rest. We will so dearly need him. I think Ando should start if Vida is not fit. Fletcher cannot possibly be ready for this game, and that would mean Carrick, but he played in the last two games. Probably Giggs should replace him in the 60th.
To be honest, I am not expecting a lot from tomorrow. United has given me several heart attacks over the last 2 games, due to the combination of defensive minded play and handing the midfield away to opposition. I don’t know how I am still alive.
I am disappointed after being knocked out so many times at this level, but there is something that goes wrong. Last year it was injuries, this year it is almost the same plus the fact that we are going through a blip.
April 28th, 2008 at 16:09
“we are done for this year See you next year fellas.Its the fault of the entire team because we rely on ronaldo and rooney heavily
well ALL of u out there Enjoy our demise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Adios”
Demise??? Dude, c’mon.. You’re frustrated but we’re still top and in CL semis…
April 28th, 2008 at 16:49
Pique should be played at center back alongwith Ferdinand. I know Brown is better in that position, but Pique hasnt made a mistake till now and we need Brown at RB.
Hargo has to simply RULE the midfield against Barca tomorrow man. Simple as that.
Its funny how just losing one center back prompts SAF to change 3 positions. Pique is an able enough deputy and if Vida isnt ready, play Pique there. Dont put Hargo at RB, thats the main thing.
April 28th, 2008 at 16:57
Utsav :Alright what if we don’t get through then would you agree with me that we have beenbelow par
in the striking department???I meant our forwards p.s exclude CR7
April 28th, 2008 at 17:04
If Vida doesnt make it into the starting 11, then what would be the problem with Pique slotting in next to Ferdinand and keeping Brown at RB. That way, if frees up Hargo for the Midfield where I think he prefers anyway. And besides, Pique played in La Liga last year so the pace and formations will be nothing new to him. In fact, it might actually benefit us to have him in there. Why doesnt Fergie have any confidence in this kid if he wants to keep him around?
April 28th, 2008 at 17:05
Master; our strikers have not been below par, no. We may have lacked numbers in that department but Tevez and Rooney have both performed this season, and Saha has 5 goals in 6 starts. So none of them have underperformed, we’ve just got 1 fairly injury-prone striker, one striker who can’t stay fit and one striker who can’t occupy defences when he’s up top on his own. We lack numbers, not quality.
Comma; SAF has confience in him, but he still realises that Brown, Vidic and Rio are all better CB’s than him, and Hargreaves is a more than handy right back. Although against Chelsea and Barca I thought he was poor, although I know many people disgaree with that.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:08
well then whose to blame???
April 28th, 2008 at 17:11
I remember saying Hargreaves in DM would be the difference in CL.Now he’ll be forced 2 play as RB, due 2 Vidic’s injury and Saf putting all his confidence in Carrick who is simply not a DM.Personally I’d put Pique as an emergency CB because the key is a competitive midfield 2 deal with Deco and Iniesta.Scholes and Carrick can’t compete in midfield and imo this experience business is overemphasised,so I’d have Andy,Hargreaves and Carrick.The issue of Rooney is Saf’s fault completely.Why he played him in the past 2 games when he was clearly unfit, should be attributed 2 his love 4 red wine.If we fail 2 win the double,ALL the blame should be directed 2 Saf and CQ and not anyone or anything else.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:13
Conor: You say we don”t have strikers then why on earth we didn’t go out and get one ,So you mean to say Fergie
should be blamed for this?
April 28th, 2008 at 17:22
I think Pique is a very good point, though don’t know why everyone is overlooking Silvestre. He did play alongside Ferdinand as a centre back for a whole season before Vida arrived. He’s fast, good in the air and admitteldy completely silly sometimes. Either way, Brown should be left at RB, to allow Hargo to patrol the midfield and add energy, which we very sorely missed.
Carrick is slipping out of form again, and his timing is worrying. Scholes seems to be great one game, crap the next with no real indication of why. What is sure is that he doesn’t have the energy to last 90 minutes at a good pace.
Let’s put things into perspective. If in August we’d had the offer to be in the SF of the CL, at home with a 0-0 out of the way, and have to beat West Ham and Wigan to secure the title, who wouldn’t have taken it?
April 28th, 2008 at 17:24
Conor-What proof is there that Pique is not as good or even better than Brown.He has been pretty impressive everytime he has come on.He held his own twice against Roma.He did a great job on loan and unlike Brown he is calm on the ball and can pass a football quite well.The same can’t be said of Brown.Another thing,not only has he played in la liga,he came from our opponent’s academy which means he has a deeper understanding of Barca’s philosophy than WB can ever hope 4.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:32
Mas_ter-Could u enlighten us as to how our strikers have been below par.I’m excluding CR7 and including Saha. And to everyone else who believes we should have and/should buy a world class striker could u pliz validate reasoning.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:38
Mas_ter may be a little rough behind the edges regarding what he is saying as well as being very good at throwing salt on our wounds but he has a right to say what he has provided he is a United supporter. Albeit an obviously very disenchanted one with little faith.
Being the negative Grognard that I am I would be dishonest if I said that deep down inside I never felt almost the same way that he does. I actually had great confidence in our chances to beat Barcelona and go to Moscow. Those feelings are diminishing by the minute with the knowledge that we will probably be without our talisman Rooney up front and without one of our vital siege towers in Vidic at the back.
Honestly, I have to be concerned about our offense without Rooney’s running, pace and overall contribution. Also, how serious did Saha hurt himself this last time in practice? Is it more serious than what Wayne is going through or can he put on some tape, take a pain killing shot for the team and dress for us on Tuesday? If ever we needed his questionable contribution it would be this Tuesday. I won’t bet my house on it though.
Sorry guys but lets face it, we are in a serious state of shite right now and all the positive thinking and acts of denial are not going to make the reality of the situation go away. So I am begging Fergie to unleash Hell and go for broke. Stop out thinking himself and stop with this disturbing and highly demotivating defensive and cautious approach that has got the team’s engine backfiring and the wheels stuck in the mud.
We still have a lot of quality so let the lads go out and win it rather than try to prevent Barca from taking it. If Fergie can’t show confidence in his own squad and in his previous positive style of play, then asking Mas_ter or any of us other negatosis ridden supporters to piss off is not really being very fair. Fergie needs to prove to us and to himself that he does have the best squad in Europe and hw should remind himself that they never became that way by playing the style that they have polluted the game with this past week. Open the floodgates and let them play, or to quote any number of Star Wars characters; “I’ve got a bad feeling about this”.
NOTE TO FERGIE: Prove to the world and to your detractors that United are a class above all their opponents, and that we can play fantastic football despite hitting a patch of adversity. Can you do that for all of us Fergie? Above all, back it up on the pitch. Put out a positive and fast lineup and go for broke. I care not if we lose 3-4, just don’t let me see us lose 0-1 or 0-2 at home to a team in worse turmoil than us. I couldn’t bare it.
My prediction; It has changed since last week. Without Rooney - Manchester United 1 v Barcelona 0 in Extra Time. An extra goal by none other than the King of late night heroics, Carlos Tevez. With Rooney I think we will attack a bit more and this could change the look and feel of the game entirely. Manchester United 2 v Barcelona 1.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:42
Jaywire; I am one of the people who believe we need a striker, I said we need a striker but I didn’t say we need a world class one, we just lack numbers. Although I wouldn’t mind having a David Villa/Benzema/Berbatov as our back up
. I would give more thought into my reasoning but we have talked about this too much, and I’m getting bored of it/lazy. 
And he didn’t do that great a job at Zaragoza, from a Barcelona fan I asked he said that although Pique was promising, he may not have the quality that we think he does. However Brown has been consistently good this season, out of position. Potential is one thing but ability is a whole other thing. People underrate Brown because he is loyal and reliable rather than the daring right back everyone loves to see fly up the pitch a la Alves. Those are his two best qualities but unfortunately these qualities go largely unnoticed by some fans.
Beachryan; I forgot about Silvestre. Since his return he has been solid, so hopefully he gets back to his old form when he was a more than decent left back/centre back, rather than the mistake prone one that he was last year.
Master, to blame for what? for being top of the league? For being in a very good position in the second leg of a Champions league semi-final? Yes I blame Ferguson for all of that, it’s all that senile old cunt’s fault!
April 28th, 2008 at 17:43
Conor, you make a good point. But all it was trying to point out is that we do have someone good enough to cover at CB while Vida is out WITHOUT having to drastically move players around. Hargo, while good at RB, does us far more good patroling and bossing the middle.
PS. What happened to Neville? He came on against Roma for 10 minutes and I havent heard from him since.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:46
made a little song for our mr glass….
Hes off to A&E again saha, saha
he gets more injured than cisse SAHA, SAHA
hes always injured always ill,
we dont wanna pay your medical bills
so louis saha FUCK OFF AT SUMMER TIME!
same tune as the torres chant (forgot the proper name)
ill probably get some stick for this but i have really come to the end of my tether on the issue of saha. The players are fighting and grafting hard for the title while hes in bed. Wheres the commitment? its not like he shows up to watch games either.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:50
Comma; Fair enough. Pique is more than capable to step up to the challenge tomorrow imo. But SAF is too experienced to throw a youngster in at the deep end like that, if push comes to shove I would put Silvestre in ahead of him just based on experience. Inexperience may not seem like a lot to most fans but it definitely means a lot to centre backs, as when they make mistakes it is often fatal e.g. Pique v Bolton.
Chris; If you do get stick for that then it will be undeserved. I was definitely one of Saha’s most avid supporters and stuck by him through thick and thin(because I too was very injury prone with regards to recurring injuries and it is very frustrating), but I’m sure everyone has lost their last grain of patience with him. Whether it’s Saha’s fault or whether he really can’t do anything about it, we have a right to be frustrated because I am sure Saha is just as frustrated as us. Well maybe not as much as Grognard.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:50
Jay wire; Get your head out of the sand and kindly wake the heck up mate. If you still cannot see that we need not just one but two strikers (Manucho would be the other) to add to this team’s poor front line, than you are really either incredibly positive or you are in serious denial bordering on blindness. Honestly, for crying out loud, the vast majority of Manchester United fans feels the way I and many other bloggers here do. You on the other hand continue to throw your Saha card in like that has any weight left in it and you continue to categorize Ronaldo as a striker, which he is not. He is being forced to play that role out of necessity. And you know why? Because Fergie has realized that both Tevez and even Rooney aren’t strikers either. Look at his Barca lineup last week if you don’t believe me. Jeez! You remind me the guy who catches his wife in bed with his best friend but then assumes that the guy was just sleeping over because he was too tired to drive home. Honestly, get your head out of the clouds. You are in such a small minority that you and the few others that agree with you can share a tree house. Sorry for this criticism. I hope you realize it is meant in a light hearted manner. Still, it does not remove the fact that you are really diluting yourself in the belief that we have enough strikers when in reality we only have one true striker and he is known as balsa Boy. A lot of good he’s turned out.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:56
Chris; The song is “when the Army goes marching one by one hurrah hurrah”. Nice lyrics. I couldn’t agree more. I commend you for making it as clean as possible because had I written it, their would be four letter word directed at Balsa Boy every second word.
April 28th, 2008 at 17:56
Sigh. We really do forget about the topic of the articles don’t we?
April 28th, 2008 at 17:58
Conor-I watch the Primera Liga,since Barca has been my 2nd team 4 12+years and quite frankly it is the best league in Europe,ahead of Serie A.Pique at Zaragoza was largely impressive and very consistent even when moved 2 DM 4 some games.I don’t underrate WB but I don’t see how Pique could do a worse job.Also,he has an offensive advantage over Brown,in that he is a ball playing defender,which helps possession.And he seems 2 score everytime he is involved in the CL with his head.And if u didn’t mention world class strikers then I don’t mean u
April 28th, 2008 at 17:59
Another good point. I honestly completely forgot about old Silvestre. I personally wouldnt mind if either slotted into the back with Ferdinand.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:00
Please don’t put Giggs in the lineup. It definitely means it is going to have less one man. He has no power to chase the ball. He has no defensive power and offensive power too. He still think himself is before that he can run through players with his skill. Sir Ferguson if you really want to throw the title away, go ahead and use Giggs again.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:01
Thank Groggy ,I know i was a bit harsh before but i think i have a point.Last season Saha had somewhere
around 14-15 goals, while rooney and ronaldo had 23 a piece ,Scholes i think had about 6 or 7 not sure
about that and giggsy had about 11 goals while vida got 4 i guess.This season CR7 has 38,rooney 18,
tevez 17,Nani 4 ,hargo 2 .This season our midfielders haven”t contributed and my fear is that the opposing
teams think that if they stop ronaldo they stop united and in the last few games we have played into their
hands for all i know it Looks like rooney is got a serious injury but fergie is playing him anyways with the help of painkillers
and that could prove to be costly, plus our old boy giggsy has been anonymous this year.Barca will throw the kitchen
sink at us come this tuesday hopefully we get through to the finals or else it could be a traumatic
summer for fergie and the boyz,not to mention the fans as well.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:01
“Chris; The song is “when the Army goes marching one by one hurrah hurrahâ€. Nice lyrics. I couldn’t agree more. I commend you for making it as clean as possible because had I written it, their would be four letter word directed at Balsa Boy every second word.”
ah i had to hold back there.
saha is so frustrating. its like being on the battlefield,enemy troops closing into your position, AK47 in your arms. but no fucking ammo.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:06
I watch La Liga every week two because I am a big fan of Barcelona’s football, and I agree it is a brilliant league to watch. Although, there literally seems to be a penalty every time there is a live match shown
. Although experience is key in his position and he doesn’t have that yet. If he was a winger or a wing back then I would have absolutely no problem with giving him a good run of games, but right now he is a worse option than Wes, and in big games I would put Silvestre just ahead of him. Guillem Balague(a brilliant Spanish football pundit imo) wrote a very good piece on Pique as a Manchester United fan had asked about him, but I can’t seem to find it. 
And I don’t think anyone mentioned the word world class in this particular article/comments.
. So your comment was fairly pointless. Giggs has been better in these last few games than recently, and at least show a bit of gratitude towards the legend he is. It’s all fair saying that you think Nani and Park are better than him, but saying that when we play him we are playing with 10 men is senseless. you are not the first person to say this however, it’s a growing theme with Manchester United fans with the memory span of a goldfish. 
Great MAn; SAF doesn’t read this log, well as far as I know
April 28th, 2008 at 18:07
Sir Ferguson, you already put yourself into this situation because of using Giggs in the past several matches. Also, Scholes is not in shape too. Did you see the accuracy of his pass??? Those players are already too old. I wish your brain would not like them.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:12
Grognard-I have concluded that u are very emotional and can overlook simple things.I actually was very specific in EXCLUDING Ronaldo from the strikers and I included Saha as part of the assessment subjects not to support him.The question was what merits the purchase of a WORLD CLASS striker,considering the performance of our own strikers i.e.Rooney,Tevez and Saha.If u look at your response,it has a lot of emotion but zero sense.Please respond when u have actually understood the comment,rather than with unnecessary rudeness and embarrass yourself
April 28th, 2008 at 18:17
Mas_ter; My pleasure mate. A lot of people on this blog have a problem with anything negative being said about our glorious team. Even if it’s true. This of course defeats the purpose of the blog which is to “RANT”. Definition of a rant is that it can come in as positive or negative. And if we are negative towards United, that of course doesn’t mean we don’t love our team. It’s like punishing your son for doing poorly and slacking off in school. Some on this site would punish him by buying him a new XBOX 360 and giving him a gift certificate for 100 DVD’s from Amazon.uk. One thing I can say for you whether I agree with your statements or not, you are not a bloody conformist and for that you have my respect. I hate conformity to other’s ways of thinking.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:17
Great Man; Which pass? That beautiful pass he flicked with the outside of his foot against Milan last year? Or a replay of this pass against Roma? Or maybe you were thinking of his inch perfect pass for Ronaldo’s head in the same game? Yeah I seen them all too, he is a terrible passer of the ball.
Grognard; Your comment of us being conformists was unnecessary. No need to use a blanket term for us all. Go ahead and call one or two people a conformist and I’m sure you would have reasoning for this, but I have to say I think that could easily be offensive.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:23
Conor-We’ll obviously not agree about Pique but at least u concede that Silvestre could do.My main concern was having Hargreaves in mid and Brown at RB.Thats the main reason I put Pique in CB.I still think he could actually do the job and honestly Im not too much an advocate of the experience issue,although I don’t undervalue it
April 28th, 2008 at 18:26
O ye of little faith. Master what a loser you are mate!. We need every fan in FULL CRY FOR THIS TIE, and for our two final league games. Anyone who doesn’t believe we FECKIN DESERVED at least a draw in the Chelsea game, and should have had numerous decisions we didn’t get, because of yet again dodgy official decisions - then you weren’t at the match seeing what United fans were seeing. Every United fan to a man should BE BELLOWING AND CHANTING FOR THE LADS IN THESE NEXT 4 matches, until our throats are dry and red raw. It’s fans like Master who need gee-ing up, and all the other loser fans who want to give up on the lads. Does Man Utd never DIE only apply to players and staff, or shouldn’t we the fans also have the never say die spirit until the last ball is kicked. Master you can take you pessimistic prophecies and shove them where the sun don’t shine mate. Sorry red ranter, but quiters on Utd prophesying their downfall when the chips are down, I have no time for. Yeah, I rant and rave let the rest of you, but I want GO DOWN IN THESE LAST 4 MATCHES WITHOUT A DARN GOOD FIGHT TO THE BITTER END. COME ON YOU MIGHTY REDS, YOU CAN DO IT LADS!!!!.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:30
Jaywire; I understand that, and it is a good point, but I highly doubt Hargreaves will play at all if he doesn’t play at right back,because that would mean three games in a week and SAF would only play him in three games in a week if he has to. I think he would have played in midfield tomorrow if Vidic didn’t get injured against Chelsea which forced Hargreaves to play, but that is the way our luck is right now.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:37
Conor; Once again you are living in the past. He’s not talking about games played a year ago. At present Giggs is far from being at his best. A mute can tell that’s the case. I am one of Giggs loudest supporters and even I now believe he is more of a hindrance to our counterattacking style than before. Simply put, it’s Nani time.
Jay wire; We need a world class striker because all the other top teams in Europe that we play against in the CL have at least one world class striker to count on. Lets see, Bayern have Toni and Klose, Milan have Inzaghi and Pato, Inter have Ibrahimovich, Roma have Totti, Barca have Eto, Bojan and even Messi (although he can play winger and midfield too), Real have RVN and Raul, Chelsea have Drogba and Anelka, Liverpool have Torres, Arsenal have Adebayor, Lyon have Benzema and Ben Arfa etc. We don’t even have a true striker in that class. Rooney is a forward but he is not a striker. Neither is Tevez. Ronaldo is a winger. Other than Saha our only other current option is Welbeck. I’ll even go one more and include Rooney as a striker. Fine, that gives us one (that’s usable). In order to beat the big clubs in Europe we need to score more goals and need to have a varied attack. A world class striker would give us variation as well as depth in quality. To think that we don’t need a world class striker to improve our team’s overall attacking package is very naive indeed. It’s should be the first thing Fergie attends to the day the season ends.
And Jay wire, I think it is you who should go back and read my statement where I made a special point about how my comments were intended and how they should be perceived. So calling me rude when you clearly didn’t read what I wrote is rude and you should feel some embarrassment. Nevertheless, in the spirit of friendly debate I do apologize to you if you still took my comments to be rude. They were not. They were intended to help make you see the light from my biased perspective. After all, in a debate, everybody has a bias, and that’s fine. That’s what makes the World go round.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:46
Once again I am living in the past? It’s normally you Grognard who bring out the names of the Muller’s, the Beckenbauer’s etc. My head is firmly in the present. This has been Giggs’ worst season without as doubt, but he was getting into great positions in the Chelsea game and if Nani had more footballing IQ Giggs may have scored a goal or two, and he has been starting to play better, although still not great. I realise Nani is better than Giggs now, and if Nani played every game from now on ahead of Giggs I would have no problem. But I reiterate the fact that saying “Please don’t put Giggs in the lineup. It definitely means it is going to have less one man.” and “Sir Ferguson if you really want to throw the title away, go ahead and use Giggs again.” is senseless.
April 28th, 2008 at 18:48
Craig mc; I shouldn’t be the one who has to tell you this but you are bloody well out of line mate. You have no right to call Mas_ter or anyone else on this blog a “loser”. How dare you! Get off your high horse and start respecting the rights of others on this site to express their feelings about the team they love as they see fit. This isn’t a site for bleeding fucking cheerleaders. We all have right to bitch and challenge anything about our team if it rubs us wrong or if it frustrates us. Who are you to tell us how to root and cheer and how to think? Grow up and smarten up and stop being a bully. I take it red ranter is not available right now or your rude comments would have been blocked. Now go stroke your Man Utd teddy bear and sing your United songs in the shower for all I care. Leave the rest of us to cheer or jeer the team as we please. you do not have a monopoly on loving Manchester United you conceited ass clown. And for that I don’t apologize.
April 28th, 2008 at 19:17
Grognard-You have given me names what of figures and contextual argument.You have always maintained that strikers should score at the end of the day and fans seem 2 throw that at both players.Rooney,who only came in2 the fold mid-season has 19 goals so far.Tevez,who has not had any pre-season experience and was coming from an exhaustive Copa America and had zero time to rest since Rooney’s injury forced Saf’s hand,has done equally great.He already has 18 goals,a large number coming off the bench.Saha,though he needs to be replaced,has scored 5.That means almost a goal every game.The reason why CR7 has scored a bucket load is a combination of brilliance and extreme selfishness.Across Europe,the players u mention have been outperformed by both Rooney and Tevez in some cases.And including Messi and Bojan means u should include Ronaldo as our striker also.So unless you prove beyond doubt,that u are a better coach than Saf,the Argentine coaches,Sven,Capello and the Corinthians’ coaches,who have played the 2 as strikers,I’ll still maintain that Roovez are WORLD CLASS STRIKERS. PS-You are the one who should be and is embarrassed because u jumped 2 conclusions without study
April 28th, 2008 at 19:29
April 28th, 2008 at 19:33
And to those bashing Giggs,please take other things into perspective.Yes,overall he has not performed 2 his potential standard,especially of late but he has made a major contribution.He has scored 2 goals less than Nani and 1 assist less also.I don’t think,the public condemnation on MUTV by our fans,has helped to boost his confidence.Yes,I’ll have Nani ahead of him but I won’t disregard his perfomance this season.And Grognard,it may be a good idea if u don’t contradict yourself constantly eg your rant at craig mc when u clearly and mockingly questioned my intelligence
April 28th, 2008 at 19:47
Master - I offer you an apology mate if I overdid my remarks!. I am high on passion for the next 4 matches, and like many of you on here, a die hard red. So no hard feelings I hope!.
Conor - hang in there mate!. On message boards there are always posts that you might find a problem, but your such a good contributor to the blog, you would me missed from the comments section mate!.
Jay Wire - thanks mate!.
April 28th, 2008 at 19:53
Deco reckons we are going 2 concede no matter what.And that we fear Messi big time.Guys this may sound like bull crap but we are in a tighter position in CL than EPL.We really need 2 fight like crazy esp in midfield.Why didn’t we go 4 a goal at Nou Camp?No point looking back.We are going 2 have 2 be at our blistering best
April 28th, 2008 at 19:53
Craig Mc; I’m not sure I care, I don’t even care about any posts here, so far I can’t remember any ones that were directed at me that got me annoyed, but it’s like a bloody soap opera on here rather than a football blog and it has been for a while!
appreciate the support though,you are most definitely the most positive commenter here, if slightly over enthusiastic in your last post. 
Jay wire we won’t have to be at our blistering best at all imo. Barca lack any real cutting edge and I still think we have the better team collectively, if not the better players overall. Although another 7-1 would come in handy right about now. 
April 28th, 2008 at 19:56
You know SAF got it spot on in the press conference today. Three games left, a CL semi final and a brace of league games. Win the three and we will have had our best season since 1999. Forgot everything else, the season starts now.
I have avoided too much analysis of the Chelsea game because I don’t really see the point. SAF took a gamble with an eye on the rest of the season and although we lost the battle we have not yet lost the war. Did we enter the season a striker light? Yes, but what does that matter now? Should Giggs have played less games? Probably, but there is nothing that can be done to change that now. Are the referees out to get us? Personally I think not, but regardless all those penalty shouts are in the past. At this point there is nothing else we can do other than play the hand fate has dealt us.
If things go belly up then there is a whole summer to pick over the carcass and bitch and moan to your hearts content. But save the post mortem for when (and if) it is needed. If the team had the same outlook as Mas_ter then the season truly is over. But this club is made of sterner stuff. We may not always win and we may not do things the easy way, but we don’t just roll over and die and the first sign of trouble.
All that can be done now is for SAF to use his decades of experience to pick the team and formation he thinks will give us the best chance of victory and then for the 11 players to step and give everything they have carrying out his orders. And all the fans can do is give their full support to the lads and pray. If we are going to go down then at least let us do it in style, for fortune favours the bold.
Viva Ronaldo, Viva United!
April 28th, 2008 at 20:24
Jb-Good calming contribution.I’m not too optimistic,esp given our CL history.However,I feel deep inside that we may be on the way 2 Moscow.Just a heart feeling based on little logic(my head is saying no way),but at least u re-ignited that feeling.
April 28th, 2008 at 20:31
Viva JB, the voice of reason!
April 28th, 2008 at 20:49
[craig mc]
Good you realised slagging off people is not acceptable here. It took you a while, but still, good to see people understand that emotions can get the better of them.
[Grognard]
“Craig mc; I shouldn’t be the one who has to tell you this but you are bloody well out of line mate.”
Yes you are right. You should NOT be the one who has to tell him this. And he hasn’t told you anything, so you really don’t have to do this. There is enough debate going around for you to be bothered with xyz attacking abc. That’s my job, and when I come around I’ll do what I think is best on here.
[Conor]
I understand fully well mate and don’t take it as a disrespect. Sometimes it helps to stay out of it when provoked because it helps to keep the board away from the constant bickering. With new commenters it’s difficult to expect it from them, but from the older ones, a little restraint is always appreciated. So no worries, mate. You comment when you feel like — although you do a good job generally.
April 28th, 2008 at 20:53
Hope Rooney and Vidic are ready for the game, more so Rooney as we have shown we can cope when needed without Vidic but will most probably struggle without Rooney knowing we need to be attack minded.
Links to the SAF press conference ahead of the big game. Sounds positive.
http://www.skysports.com/video/0,20285,12602_3490092,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7371894.stm
April 28th, 2008 at 20:53
[JB]
To be honest, I think Fergie has got his substitutions/team-selections right more often than not. Too often this season, we’ve seen fans scratching their heads when the team sheet comes out only to rejoice in another resounding victory. It’s one of those things, a victory would mean SAF would be appreciated for his brilliance. And a loss would be considered a major blunder. I may have also slagged the mentality of the team recently — as in they are playing more defensively than usual, but again it’s been another long tough season and with injuries to some key personnel it hasn’t made it easier.
April 28th, 2008 at 20:59
And despite all the whinging over bad refereeing and player protection and fixture congestion, the most sense has come from Fergie in the press conference today. Hopefully the lads back it up with a performance to make him proud.
April 28th, 2008 at 21:02
JB: Well said, mate..I was just about to praise Fergie for his comments today when I saw you’d already mentioned it. The last few days have been depressing to say the least and it doesn’t help at all when someone says “enjoy our demise!!”. Instead it flares everyone up and we’ll start having a foul-mouthing match right here.
You’re right when you say the season starts now. If we fail, we’ll have a couple of months to foul-mouth everything/everyone to our heart’s content. If we are victors, we again do have the same amount of time to dissect “what almost went wrong”…so right now, everyone just hang in there!
April 28th, 2008 at 21:49
RR: Apologies if I cam across as questioning SAF. I may have my own ideas on team selection and tactics but I normally appreciate the logic he applies to his own choices. And after all he has more experience than any other manager about and I am but an armchair enthusiast.
Bottom line the problem is this, lack of form. Of the forwards and midfielders over the last half dozen games, who would you say was in consistently good form? The only one that sticks out is Hargreaves and his impact is heavily marginalised when he is at RB. You can get players to go all out attack, defensive or counter attacking. You can play them in a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, a 4-5-1 or a 1-2-3-4. But ultimately if they are out of form you will struggle to implement any combination effectively. Form is a fickle beast though and can reappear as quickly as it goes. But a CL final is at stake, we are at home to a hopefully rocking OT and SAF looked to have a twinkle in his eye at the press conference. If that can’t shake the lads out of their poor patch then nothing will.
And it has been a long hard season, but honestly would you have it any other way
Everyone else: Thanks for the support lads. I know Grognard likes his Star Wars quotes when he feels there is impending doom but I think there is one that might be quite suitable for tomorrow. “Never tell me the odds!â€
April 28th, 2008 at 21:51
We have three world class forwards: Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez. I include Ronaldo because he does not play like a traditional winger and cuts inside and plays higher up the pitch.
This season the experiment was can you play football without a striker. The answer was yes, most of the time. On a few occasions though it would have been great to be able to have a Plan B and throw on a mobile, strong, athletic striker in the Andy Cole/Dwight Yorke/fit Louis Saha mould.
The real problem is that Rooney and Tevez both struggle to stay fit. Tevez has looked off the pace all season-I’m guessing it is the Copa America and lack of a pre-season. Hopefully we will see an even better Tevez next season. And Rooney is Rooney….gives it 110% and picks up occasional knocks.
I’m guessing for Barca if Rooney does not stay fit we will play Tevez up top with Ronaldo behind and give both of them license to roam and terrorise Barca’s defence. Really that should work, although I think a fit Rooney would take Barca to pieces.
Nani is overhyped. His corners are great, he can run at a defence, but his judgement is still lacking. He gives away possession to easily. Giggs seems to be going through a particularly bad patch. It does not matter so much that he has lost his pace. That went a few seasons ago. But he is being uncharacteristically sloppy.
Scholes has fallen from his high standards but on form he is still easily our best central midfield by a mile. That is why it is frustrating when he has bad games, but also why you have to keep picking him because if he is on form he will win you the match.
Anderson is great in the league but has not convinced in the Champions League which is why I think he will be used as a sub to inject some energy later on. Im guessing we will play a three man midfield with Carrick, Hargreaves and Scholes. Of course if Hargreaves has to play right back Anderson will start.
Defence is trickier if Vidic is out. I would hope we keep Brown at right back which would mean playing Silvestre or Pique alongside Rio, and I have a suspicion Ferguson will favour Silvestre.
April 28th, 2008 at 21:57
Jay wire; Learn the difference between disagreement and mockingly questioning your intelligence. Clearly this is a site to debate points of view. If you can’t handle somebody not agreeing with you without accusing them of mocking or insulting you and without having called you names, then please explain to me what in God’s name you consider mockery and insulting? I simply don’t agree with you and I gave you my valid reasons for it. Either accept or not. It’s no skin off my ass. Whether you agree with me at the end of the day means very little to me.
JB; Your point is well taken and well thought out. You make very valid sense but I think it still is a little unfair to basically call for a blog that is only positive in it’s responses until season’s end. Man Utd fans come in all shapes sizes and temperaments. Some are highly positive while others get down very easily. To literally call for a cease fire from those who think with more pessimism is basically telling them to conform to the positive and to not bother to participate unless they are willing to same something positive. This blog is for all viewpoints, both positive, negative and indifferent for that matter. I’d like to think that any viewpoint is welcome at anytime.
Conor; Sorry you are upset mate. I’m sorry if I have contributed to your frustration but unfortunately sometimes the subject matter and people’s attitudes can get the best of us and get one bent out of shape, and thus we get off the topic. To lose heart and don’t stop participating because your viewpoint and participation on this site is valued greatly. I’m sure of it.
April 28th, 2008 at 22:06
I guess sitting and picking over the negatives at the business end of the season isn’t in my nature. If you want to be a pessimist go ahead Grognard it’s your choice. I’d like to think the rest of us can show a United (pardon the pun) front in terms of support for the lads. They are having a bit of a sticky patch and could do with all the support they can get.
April 28th, 2008 at 22:24
I’m with you JB!. By the way mate - you got any sneaky predictions about how you think the score might go tomorrow?. How I would love a United walloping of Barca, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing that lol!. If everyone has been watching Man Utd tv, and other media, they will be turning up with flags, scarves, or anything red they can get their hands on to wave. Sir Alex and the boys have been putting out the rallying call to the fans all day!. Well, they got me hyped up anyway, my mates too. I’m scared to predict a score in case it jinxes things haha - but I’ll go with a United win!!!.
April 28th, 2008 at 22:43
I’m going to say an extremely nervy 2-1
April 28th, 2008 at 22:56
JB; You know if I was a ticket holder at OT I’d would say you are right 100%. The lads do deserve our support and all fans at OT should make lots of noise and really lend their support. But I like many others live in places all over the world. Does me ranting like a schoolboy in my living room help the lads? I think not. Does me or anybody writing sweet nothings about the lads on the blog make a difference on how they feel and how they play? And for those who get mad or who criticize the team’s play, tactics or squad selection, they do so as a loyal fan who cares greatly about how the team plays. They certainly are not any less loyal or passionate about the club. All I’m saying is that we all have different personalities and we react differently. One thing is certain though, no matter what our views may be, we are all UNITED for life. I too by the way am predicting a very nervy 2-1 win provided Rooney plays. If he doesn’t start, all bet s are off.
April 28th, 2008 at 23:00
I’m going to say an extremely nervy 2-0. (Anyone who gets their score right will be saluted tomorrow after the match
)
April 28th, 2008 at 23:04
4-1
April 28th, 2008 at 23:05
Okay, extreme predictions that are right will get a double salute
(I would love to see it happen though)
April 28th, 2008 at 23:09
backing united to score a 2-0 win, one early, one late…one off a corner, one off a counter…one from roon, one from ron….
April 28th, 2008 at 23:11
One thing that gets to me is that “viva ronaldo” is sung all of the time, even when he is on the bench. i find that wrong as ronaldo is not man utd. Fans should cheer on some other players that are actually on the pitch.