It doesn’t matter whether the night before I drank the local dry or was tucked up by ten o’clock with a hot mug of cocoa, I wake up too bloody early on the morning of a big game and can’t go back to sleep again. As I’m lying in bed, telling my brain to switch off again so I can sleep, I play out scenario after scenario of how the day could go.
Maybe Rooney will score a thunderbolt, it’s been a while since one of them, and will run to our fans with his team-mates and they’ll ‘rock the baby’. Maybe John Terry will slip at the crucial moment and Antonio Valencia will pinch the ball off him, run round and blast it through Petr Cech’s legs. Maybe Darren Fletcher will make a perfectly timed and executed last ditch tackle as Frank Lampard catches us on the break. Maybe our out of sorts defence will get too close to Didier Drogba in the penalty area and concede an inevitable penalty.
And before I know it, I’m wide awake.
Ahead of our trip to Anfield, I was fairly confident. Whilst knowing it really was a must win for Liverpool, I hoped the embarrassment of the 4-1 defeat last season would at least spur us on to do something that Sunday. The pain of losing to Liverpool hurts more than any other opponent, which takes some of the pressure off the Chelsea game today in comparison, however I don’t feel fairly confident today. As I said in a discussion with a Chelsea fan, these games often favour the underdog to come good, but that isn’t enough to settle my nerves.
I imagine we’re going to go with a five man midfield with Rooney as the lone striker, the formation the manager often chooses for the big games, particularly against opponents with a midfield as strong as Chelsea’s.
Whilst Ryan Giggs has had a fantastic season so far, he struggled to make an impact against Liverpool on the left, which begs the question should he be used on the wing again today? If he was to shift centrally that would leave Nani and Valencia on the wings, or, Obertan and Valencia, the move large sections of our support are calling for. I understand the frustrations felt because of Nani and certainly agree that Obertan looks to be the real deal, but I personally think it would be suicide to start the French lad today. He is riding high with confidence at the moment, buoyed by the support of our fans, but to play him from the start at Stamford Bridge would be chucking him in at the deep end and could have serious consequences. If he has a bad game it could psychologically effect him, particularly with the press all too keen to rip him apart and claim he’ll never ‘fill Ronaldo’s boots’, and I don’t think it’s worth the risk.
The manager might still opt to put Giggsy on the wing though because Nani hasn’t been good enough consistently (but what a lovely little flick on for Michael Owen’s goal against CSKA Moscow in the week!) and we need to make sure we’ve got as much quality as possible in the midfield and don’t have room for any passengers. So that could leave us with Fletcher, Anderson and Carrick in the central midfield roles. We’ve got some fight there and if Carrick can please rediscover his passing quality and confidence, some creativity. Scholes would be on the bench ready to come on in the second half if things aren’t going our way, where he could collect his compulsory yellow card as well as hopefully spraying the ball about in the final third to get our wingers in on the act.
If Rooney is to play up front we will have the problem which I can’t recall ever seeing being solved. Getting the ball to him. He’ll obey orders to begin with, with ball after ball flying through the air and being won by the defender who is a good half foot or so taller than him. Then he’ll start pushing wide to collect the ball and find there is no one to cross to when he gets it. So then he will come deep to get a touch and we have no one up there to score. Am I being harsh? I really am struggling to remember when the lone striker formation has paid off, particularly when Rooney is the lone striker. That’s no disrespect to him but he’s too small to win the ball in the air and he’s outnumbered when accurate crosses do manage to make their way through. That for me screams that we should have Dimitar Berbatov on the pitch which is something the manager thought wise against Liverpool. Will he risk having a thinner midfield so that he can include Berbatov in the starting line-up though? Lucas-Mascherano are no Lampard-Essien-Ballack.
If we’re struggling, chuck on Michael Owen but take a midfielder off in his place. Let’s see how much damage our strikers can do when they’re all on together.
And I’m saving the best until last: the defence. Hmm. This really is a worry. With Rio Ferdinand struggling to deal with the upper body strength of that little weed Fernando Torres, it probably is a good job he’s been ruled out from facing Drogba, who is probably in the form of his life. This means it will be up to Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans to put the boot in, the latter of which will be presented with his toughest challenge so far as a United player. He played against Drogba when he was a Sunderland player and kept him quiet, and also did the job home and away against Chelsea last year. But Drogba isn’t the joke of a man who turned up at Old Trafford last year, swinging at the ball, seeing it go off for a throw-in and laughing, as his side suffered a painful 3-0 defeat.
But we have to get the balance right in defence. There’s no point spending all our time shutting out Drogba when the likes of Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard are still on the prowl.
I imagine our full-backs will be employed for more defensive duties than they are usually, which means I would certainly favour Wes Brown to mirror Patrice Evra. I’m not slating John O’Shea but Wes is the better player and I would feel more confident if he was dealing with any wide Chelsea threat. Plus, what would our travelling support have to sing about if Brown wasn’t playing?
If we were offered a point right now, I would take it. Chelsea are in great form and we’re doing our usual start of the season routine. A good result at Stamford Bridge could really help us kick on but essentially I don’t want us to suffer the humiliation we put them through last season. Heads down and let’s get on with it lads. We have to go with the belief we can beat them so that is what I have to predict… a slim United victory. COME on reds.
Man Utd News 24/7
..I have a bad feeling! Come on United..
Stop worrying mate!
We never die. Victory, in spite of the challenges we face, is imminent!
C’mon you Reds!!
van der sar
oshea brown vidic evra
flecther carrick anderson
valenica berbatov rooney
or
van der sar
oshea brown vidic evra
valenica carrick flecther obertan
rooney berbatov
Its gonna be a tough one alright. We must concentrate for the full 90 mins…but can we? No defensive lapses today please boys.
COME ON UNITED!!!!
ur wake up this morning sounds like mine mate. im in aust so i need to get to bed early so i can get up for the game and then back to bed straight afterwoods or my limestone water feature im building tomoro is going to look like liverscums champions league campaign, ROOTED!! def need berba up front with wazza for sure. scholsey and gabby would be mint comin on with fresh legs 2nd half. COME ON U REDS!! RED ARMY!!
@Jack: Your first choice is the one i was about to propose myself. After the defensive displays of this season, I think it would be wise if we beefed up our midfield.
Off topic. Has anyone seen this?
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/video/?vxSiteId=6d2e103b-e170-4f86-9c51-6eac37f8a93e&vxChannel=News&vxClipId=2160_588211&vxBitrate=300
Today is where the 4-3-3 formation would come in handy.
ha ha! oldboy terry the coke head eh!! classic!
…..so do I……Coz we all follow UNITED……HELLO,HELLO WE ARE THE BUISBY BABES………
We have to ask some questions of Chelsea, which I cannot see a destroyed and surely soon departing Nani posing. And we have to stiffen the midfield, 4-4-2 was a liability against CSKA let alone Chelsea: Berbatov remains a luxury we cannot afford against the big boys.
So please, SAF:
VDS
Brown – Evans – Vidic – Evra
Valencia – Fletcher – Giggs – Anderson – Obertan
Rooney
Not Rooney’s proper position – but when did he get to play there ?
VDS
Brown – Evans – Vidic – Evra
Valencia – Fletcher – Anderson – Obertan
Rooney – Berbatov
Does anyone know how Hargreaves is doing? Boy we could use him today.
Btw, I’m watching the Norwegian cup final, and Ole just revealed that Mame Biram Diouf will be coming to Manchester soon. This is his last match for Molde.
vds,
brown, vidic,evans,evra
carrick,anderson,fletch
valencia,owen,rooney
Everybody is talking like United are a Championship side and the Rentboys are Champions of Europe. We are fucking United for fuck sake. Fuck the rentboys . They have been getting away with playing poor teams and have still been beaten by Villa and Wigan. We always do better with our backs to the wall. Come on Reds.
I really didn’t know what to think when i woke this morning. After the liverpool match my confidence has been slightly dented. I know we have the abilty to beat any side but if they want to win this one we need to go out swinging in all areas of the park and it cant last for the first 15 minutes of the game. We cannot switch off at all as we know that cunt drogba is dangerous and their midfield is also strong. I believe the game will all come down to who concedes first!Lets pray our boys do the job and do it well! We arent champions3 seasons in a row for nothing!
Rent Boys, Indeed come down south (civilization) and get your arse’s well and truly beaten! You lot are definitely on the wane.
gutted this weekend, been offered a ticket but couldn’t get time off work, then city draw, happy i should be. except if charlton win today city cost me £2k in an accumator. come on united make it a good weekend after all, i fancy a tight game 1-0 maybe wes brown, worth a quid
This looks to have the makings of a physical game where little technical ability will be on show. sad but true(even though i hope not), however i would play berbs up top on his own cause if anyone can show their technical ability in a game like this its him.. (chavs4-spuds4 game he was immense in that game again please)
so if our desire and passion is there we should win it regardless of form.
we need muscle in there or in our case fighters like Rooney Fletcher Giggs and Anderson and brown sorry JOS.
i would go for
VDS
Brown—Evans—Vidic—Evra
Fletcher-Giggs-Anderson
Valencia Rooney(sorry but he’s our best option out here)
Berbatov
the midfield should be able to disrupt chelsea and also provide some urgency and creativity going forward with the likes of rooney valencia and either or ando and giggs
C’mon UNITED pressure game and this is where we always come good they live for pressure situations.. Dunno how much my heart can take tho lol
no nani and osher for sure win
this would be mine:
Van der Sar
Brown Evans Vidic Evra
Valencia Fletcher Giggs Carrick Rooney
Berbatov
osheas deffo starting
I swear nani didn’t flick the ball to owen at the cska game he was trying to shoot but it was a very bad shot that turned to a nice flick.i hope nani will prove us wrong today
”Maybe John Terry will slip at the crucial moment”
LOL.
Can’t wait for this!
Can’t believe nobody is talking about Barcelona preparing an £85 million bid for Rooney!
1. vds
wes vidic johnny erva
flecth carrick anderson
valencia wazza giggs
or
vds
2 wes vidic johnny erva
flecth carrick anderson
valencia berba wazza
or
vds
3 wes vidic johnny erva
flecth carrick anderson
valencia wazza obertan
no nani no o sher
berba injured, hope nani starts and scores a screamer ala charity shield. played well that day, he can again, he’s got bags of ability just needs a teprement
Good preview Scott, I think I speak for the majority in agreeing with your apprehension towards the forthcoming game.
I just hope we play well and, hopefully if we do, the result will take care of itself.
Van der Sar
Brown Vidic Evans Evra
Carrick
Fletcher Anderson
Valencia Nani
Rooney
alpha_rs
because it is bullshit .. if it had been £50 mill i would certainly be a little bit more worried..
I see Sky Sports are quick again….. only a few days behind Scott!
Evra revels in Blues test:
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5682311,00.html
VDS
Brown Evans Vidic Evra
Valencia Fletcher Ando Obertan
Owen Berbatov
Rooney and Berbatov are both players who tend to drop too deep at times and sometimes there’s no one up front to recieve the balls. I’d say bring in Rooney in the second half and take off a midfielder so we’re playing a 4-3-3. Three strikers surely will trouble them.
I think Obertan can handle starting a game like this, he knows he’s no ronaldo and isn’t trying to fill his boots, he would probably rise to the occasion and perform well. Him starting will irk Nani but then he’ll start getting his head together and improve which will result in competition for the left flank.
I was more confident on the day we were going to play the dippers, and was convinced we will win. However I am not as confident today, but I have faith in the team and as long as the formation/team selection is right then we can get a decent result.
BELIEVE.
its unbealivable i was talking to a united fan and one thing he confessed to me is that he has never seen united win at the bridge !!!!!! come one reds time to end this miserable record!!!
@reddevil1878……Lovin the Terry’s dad story! Hopefully he’ll get plenty of shit about that today. I’d bet my house that he’s a cokehead too. He fuckin looks like one…..
@Alpha_RS. Don’t bother yourself Rooney won’t leave us, he is a true red and i have no doubt about it. And you will hear his response about that £85m move. Mark my words.
@Sprite
Thing is that if their is any truth to it the fcukin Glazers might cash in on it since United are in so much debt. Cnuts.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/587550/John-Terrys-dad-sells-cocaine-in-bar.html
like farther like son the fa should take tiny tears to the lab straight away!!………
imagine if it was rio dad caught in a scandal like this??…the press would be all over his ass!!
@Sam the kenyan red. Did you travel? Am off to 21century to watch the game, and i’av astrong feeling we are going to win this game.
Fze123 – As I said on Friday your selection baffles me to say the least. Rooney HAS to start and WILL start. The chavs are shit scared of him. Cannot believe you will drop Wazza BUT start with Obertan. I have to agree with Scott on this, the game is too big and physical to throw Obertan in. Would love to see him get a run though as I think he looks the dogs.
AlphaRs – Rooney won’t be joining the rentboys mate, it is a non story. Its the fucking News of the World for fucks sake.
@ alpha_rs
nomatter how broke we may be i promise you that would be the dumbest move the glazers would take not unless they want their dental formular re arranged…
@kenyan redvill
hi sorry i didnt make it but i promise you am on top of my voice let th egame start!!!!
I really hope true United come out today, come what may.
We are owed a big performance, and I hope lads don’t let us down.
@King Eric and sam the kenyan red
It’s Barcelona apparently. But Barcelona are Barcelona.
It’s very worrying personally!
AlphaRs – Don’t worry mate, Rooney is no Ronaldo. He knows where he is best off. Do you honestly think Fergie would agree to the sale?
@King Eric
I don’t think SAF initially agreed to selling Ronnie.
The only reason I think he did so was after 2 years of saying he wanted to leave. I know Rooney is no Ronnie. Ronnie himself has admitted that Real Madrid are some way off winning the Champions League which makes you wonder that if he was so professional why would he leave United.
Another thing is that out of the last 6 years today is the least likely I think United will get any result against Chelsea. I know it sounds pessimistic but Rooney as a lone front man has never worked and if we pair him with Berbatov the midfield will be over run as man for man the Chelsea midfield is better IMO.
If you can’t watch this game in pub or tv you can try Chelsea FC vs United live streams. The will be available 10 – 15 before match starts!
Live stream:
http://redlog.pl/2009/11/08/wideo-z-meczu-chelsea-fc-manchester-united/#live
Vandy
Oshea
Evans
Vidic
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Fletcher
Giggs
Rooney
Berbatov
@alpha_rs
rumours rumours rumours…..they will never end do you really think barcelona can splash a whooping 85m on rooney?? am not saying that he a’int worth it (of course wazza is worth each and every penny) but its barcelona we are talking about here its not real madrid surelly they have the likes ibrahimovic,henry,messi besides they have the pride of making their own stars to protect……
and most importantly rooney has already commited his future to united so no need to worry mate…….
i cant waitttttttttt
come on you reds!!!
off topic but do you guys really think our playmaking solution lies on magnus eikrem?? i mean from what i’ve seen the boy is class…
@ King Eric – If Rooney starts the most likley position he’d be in is as a lone striker, which doesn’t really work and frustrates him and I hate to see him playing alone upfront, so I’d rather he comes on as a substitute. I am not choosing Obertan over Rooney, but choosing Obertan ahead of Nani. I just would like to see how this formation would work against a team like chelsea.
On the barcelona rumour, it is what it is, a rumour. Rooney will never leave, it’s as simple as that. I cannot see him play at any other club other than utd. He is the one player Fergie would never even think of selling to any english club, let alone a spanish one.
God in Heaven, make this match OUR match.
Come on you Red Devils!
Really, News of the World? £85m for Rooney? John Terry’s Da a coke dealer? sorry but what game is on today? United v Chelsea? Really? News of the World really? are you trying to cheer up you dipper readership? anybody who buys that poor excuse of arsewipe or even log’s onto their website really needs their head looked at.. If Barca bid £85m of Rooney and he goes I will sell my car and house and will donate the money to the News of the Worlds favorite charity (Liverpool FC)…
barca aint got that sort of money, they wanna buy robiniho but are initially gonna take him on loan, they got messi henry zlatan bojan keita pedro and even gudjohnson, they don’t need rooney, though he would fit in, i personally think if they were gonna go for him they would have used eto’o as part of a deal struck up.
wayne is happy in manchester, settled, with new wife and child, can’t see him wanting to go. luckily coleen isn’t posh spice, she’s good lookin for one lol
Why people read the News of the world. A joke of a paper.
I share those concerns with the 4-5-1 tactic. My feeling for the game is that it’s very important not to lose, I’ll take a draw. I just hope our defense will be up for that task…
@mopbucket
i guess i need my head checked ……..i logged onto their website….
i won’t mind 85m +messi and season long loan deal for xavi…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfgdUfDgCq8&feature=related
hope we never meet him i can’t stand it..
ill take a draw today…..just hope the midfield is on it!
I dreamt we lost 10-0.
I got a bad feeling, away to Chelsea, I mean I really can’t see us winning.
Today we get the hardest game of the season out the way only at the start of November. They got the African Cup, we’ve got the title with no distaractions except shit England games.
This is the One…Come on United!
it seems nobody bealives we can win today?? damn am going for a 2-0 united i know we can!!
@Red Army – Come on mate, be positive. They’re the second best in-from team in england who have a bunch of veterans and an arrogant manager. We shouldn’t be afraid of them. At the beginning of last season we drew 1-1 and keep in mind we started very slowly. This season we’ve started better and I can’t see us losing, only if the team selection was woeful and the defence is shaky. If we lose, this game is no title decider.
But I have to ask, did you ever have a dream that came true?
@sam the kenyan red. United we stand, YES WE CAN.2-1 to united
If it wasn’t for VDS getting injured at half time, last year we would have won at the Bridge. The team had a very compact midfield with Hargo,Fletch,Scholes and Park and Chelsea were finding it tough. The only shot they had was with deep balls. It was so frustrating because it should have been us that broke their 5 year unbeaten run at home. I hope we get that win today. We could have done with players like Hargo and Park today though. Anyway, good luck to us.
Confirmed – no Vida or Berba in the squad today.
Thanks Mahesh.The Vida one is a big blow.I just hope he will be fit in 2 weeks because his calf problem is taking forever to heal. I thought he trained 3 times this week…Wes and Jony must do better than what they did on Tuesday.
Owen will take it home for us.
I hope
Official team:
Van der Sar
O’Shea
Evans
Brown
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Anderson
Fletcher
Giggs
Rooney
Subs: PIG, Owen, Vidic, Scholes, Fabio, Obertan, Gibson
As expected really, the only talking point was if Vidic was going to be fit in time and if it was Giggs or Nani on the left wing.
@ besher
spot on about nani’s back heel “pass” to owen. i thought he was trying to emulate ronaldo’s cheeky back heel goal from seasons past. luckily- typical owen- mickey o was following the ball and moved into the right place to deflect it in.
i think tempers will flare early in this match, like the fletcher goal 1-nil victory of a few years ago. you could feel pure venom in every challenge in that one. no clean sheets today, we’re gonna have to attack, attack, attack!
chelsea will try to control the ball for the first 15-20 min and really carve up our defence. if they do go up early, ancelotti’s ac milan teams would always hold the ball, get everybody back and wait to counter attack. i think we’re going to be trying to nick some points 1 goal down for the last 10 minutes but hopefully united can level or win it outright in the end.
my prayer this morning: i believe in sir alex, father almighty, maker of heaven on earth…
Vds,brown,oshea,evans evra,anderson,giggs,carrick,fletcher,valencia,rooney
Bench.kusczak,VIDIC,fabio,scholes,gibson,obertan,owen
I know we need to play it safe here, but I absolutely HATE us playing with just one up front. I really do. We usually look aweful. Anyways, here’s hoping for a good game..
Chelsea
cech
Ivanovic
Terry
Carvalho
A Cole
Essien
Ballack
Lampard
Deco
Anelka
Drogba
Bench
Hilario,Ferriera,Alex,j Cole,Mikel,malouda,kalou
@Mahesh
whenever we play 2 up front we get slaughtered, so better play 5 in midfield and play for a draw.that would be a great result.
@aig alex is god: somehow I prefer playing to our strengths, than our weakness. I think we play even worse when we go in showing too much respect to the opposition, and mentally prepared to settle for a draw. I think we’ve given Chelsea a mental head start before the game’s even begun!
berbs not even on the bench – wtf – is he injured or something ?
thats just gives us owen as the only other striker
@Mahesh
no point being adventorous and playing both Owen and rooney.Sir Alex will take a draw,make no mistake about it.Sometimes when you are up against a side that is playing much better than you are you have to show respect.Sir Alex has made a good decision by playing only rooney up front.
@dv-ant Yes Berba has a slight injury
@dv-ant
failed to shake of a knee injury.should have been fit but surprisinly is not even on the bench.gives owen a massive chance to make an impact.
@aig alex is god: fair enough, point taken! Lets just hope for a good game!
My entire body is covered with goose bumbs.i take heart from the statistics:traditionally,when an in_form team plays a less fit opposition,the tables tend 2 change.remember our game against the scousers?
the defence is really getting me worried.
Drogba is strong and physical.none of our defenders is good enough physically to deal with him.
Anelka is quick.neither evans nor brown has pace to deal with him.fearing for us.we could be in for a battering
aig alex is god
Chill out mate. Im sure they can cope with Drogba. Anelka is quicker than our CB but im sure he will play on the right and Evra is going to be the one to deal with him. Our midfield looks good. the same one that demolished the Arse. We have nothing to fear.
Come on UNITED!
Is giggs playing playing on the left wing? He didn’t play there very well at anfield. Vidic and Berba out = huge blow. I really hope our defence does the job today.
Berbatov not included ? Not good news even if he didn’t do a lot against the big 4.
Come on you Reds!!!
And I just hope Rooney does not drop too deep today.
@Sketch
that was a different scenario mate.we were playing really well with Ronaldo in great form.Vidic was playing well too back then.and if yo will have sen Chelsea of late Drogba stays up front and Anelka and lampard take turns at making those little runs that i think our defence will struggle to cope with.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson: “What will our shape be? Ah, that’s a secret! I’ll say this, though, in games of this magnitude you have to make sure all the players who start are fit and raring to go. Vidic has had a few days training but you have to think, will he get through 90 minutes? We have to pay respect to Chelsea’s shape and philosophy and we’re well aware of the complications if you become too open against that type of midfield. We don’t want Chelsea going five points clear – that would be a formidable lead – while if we win, we go a point clear at the top of the table, that’s the incentive.
aig alex is god
We got Fletcher. He will cover up for our CB nicely allowing Anderson to drive forwards and seriously when that kid is running no one can take the ball off him. Giggs played well against Chelsea in OT last year and Valencia is fitting in well with the team. There’s nothing to be worried about. Chelsea can not defend to save their lives and im glad Giggs is playing, he can wipe them crosses in that Chelsea seem to be rubbish at clearing, resulting in Rooney scoring. Come on guys have some faith.
COME ON UNITED!!!!
Ok, doom mood is over! We got fletch to boss the game… Come on United.
come on united!!!!
onside!
Early in the game, and its going well but I think one substitution later in the game is staring at least me in the face – obertan for giggs…
working hard and doing well – keeping lampard pretty quite so far
Some good play – but also some terrible decision making and execution by giggs and rooney in the last few minutes..
rooney shud hav played that ball ealier to ando
john terry and chelsea yet again displaying that the word sportsmanship for some reason never showed up on their dictionaries.
fukin wankers!! stop that game for one of ours ref!
haha…kick tiny tears’ balls…
okay change my mind on the earlier comment – replace giggs as early as possible..he’s been terrible today, i would prefer to have obertan or owen on for additional threat…
how the fuk the ref let play carry on there – fukin prat!
no rio, vidic or berba
were doing well so far – keeping lumpalard outta the game aswell
great first half. By far playing better. Tactics spot on.
Giggs having a bit of a mare.
Didier Who
Nicolas Who
didnt even know berba had an injury…did you guys? i didn’t see it anywhere in the leadup.
we look alright i guess, can’t really blame us i guess since we’re missing some bigtime names..here’s to a good second half and for god’s sake wayne pass the ball to anderson when he’s open next time
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!
We have been solid at the back. Fletcher and Ando both have been excellent, keeping their midfield quite and protecting the back 4 well. Rooney and Valenica need to link up better. We should take more advantage of their slow defenders and hit them on the counter. Giggs has been terrible. I would still say keep him on for another 10 minutes and if he doesnt improve but on Obertan or Owen. Preferably Owen.
Overall good first half, had very little trouble at the back and dealt with their crosses well. We should approach the second half like we did against Moscow in the last 30 minutes. We should try and keep a clean sheet..
Anderson’s been sold short so far. Valencia and Rooney both had terrific chances to play him in.
It hasn’t been the game a lot of neutrals expected, that’s for sure.
The best part of the game thus far was watching terry holding/clutching his…cunt.
Dear GOD with all due respect sir you can’t let a team lose after playing that kind of football…..
Surprised nobody’d praised Carrick. He has been excellent first half. I know he had three shots that were off target but at least he has had a go. All the fucking doubters worried about our midfield Ando, Carrick and Super Fletch have run the show. Ballack and Fat Frank ain’t had a sniff. Defended well. Keep it up United we can have these cunts. Drogba the big fucking ponce. N
No comment on the game so far but I just want to say that I’m hating John Terry more and more every day – why is he going down holding his face when it is HE who has elbowed our player (accidently or otherwise).. what a clown!
Come on you fucking reds…..
sniff sniff …see Teryr senior is about… drug dealing cunt ….anyone sent the video to the police yet….
here we go then…..
I am really anxious we need to keep our heads up and keep doing what we were doing. Will be happy with a point to be honest
we’re a better side but for fuck sake we need to take our chances…
anderson is cementing his place in the first team as far as i’m concerned
Can we get ryan giggs off asap please – he is singlehandedly conspiring to deny us victory today…he’s a legend, but today’s one of those games where he is frustrating beyond belief…
oh Wayne.Should have got that one on target.0-0 and i get nervous.cant watch the last few minutes
brilliant rooney – aig that chance he didn’t get on target…i think giggs put him off by whacking into him..
oh cmon SAF – make a change…we can win this damn thing! go for it!
obertan warming up
kung fu evans!
Get giggs off SAF! Cmon!
Fucking hell Jonny Evans..
hahahdsajhdksahd drogba got the yellow holy shit
hahahahahahhaah Drogba ass clown ahahhhhhhhhhhh. wow carefull johnny
drogba nearly swallowed Evans foot….the dirty african vagina……
yellow card for dogbra – LOL!
although he was kicked by evans serves him right cus he usually auditioning for platoon the cunt
will you make a fucking change now SAF???
fuck you terry foul inside the box !!!
fucking terry you cunt
this refs a fukin joke
had to be terry.now the cunts are diving too.
that shud never hav been a free kick
cunt bastard ref
thats football.. don’t take chances, u get punished, err… the ref didnt score the goal did he?
time to make changes 5mins ago
same old fuckin chelsea bastards.
Here we go, Rooney booked now.
Fergie, take off Giggs and put Owen on ffs!
stop blaming the ref…he messed up the evans decision as well…this is down to SAF playing for a draw and not taking giggs off 20 mins back..
what the fuck is wrong with our players..calm the fuck down and try to play for god’s sake!
good refereeing…come SAF…wake the fuck up!!!
the players need to calm the hell down here.. the last thing you want is a red card. get over it, the free kick was 50-50 it was not a crazy ref decision.. they lost terry in the box so they should be angry with themselves!
Bloody hell, Owen and Obertan should’ve came on years ago! why is fergie bringing them on with 5 minutes to go! So frustrating!
hasn’t Ray Wilkins turned into a fat rentboy cunt
Fletcher is doing my head in! Why is he trying to get Carvalho sent off when it was not even him with the foul! That;’s not the Manchester United way…
Frustrating.BUT THAT WAS THE BEST AWAY PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON
I dont understand why we lost. Once again those gay fucking referees fuck it up. We were by far the better team yet we fucking lost. Fergie should of put on Owen ages ago. Thats now Chelsea and the Arse ahead of us. :@
Can someone please please confirm something for me
In the rules if you make a substitution does the ref not add on 30 seconds of extra time?
This for me is the rules… Chelsky made a sub in overtime where there was 5 minutes… and only 5 minutes where played!
Work that out!
Obertan and Owen coming on with six minutes to go? Fucking hell…
Disgusting from Chelsea, not that I expected anything else. Offside goal from a freekick that should never have been. Great match, but we shouldn’t have lost.
@Tony Starks
Because carvalho is a cunt.Are you saying he did not hear to the whistle and was down as if someone kicked his balls(wish someone had).The ref should pay no attention to such fucking actors.
son of coke dealer scores – want him drug tested!!
Yeah, more shots on goal, more possession. For all the pre-match talk about Drogba, we kept him quiet. Why didn’t Owen and Obertan get on earlier though?
Can someone please please confirm something for me
In the rules if you make a substitution does the ref not add on 30 seconds of extra time?
This for me is the rules… Chelsky made a sub in overtime where there was 5 minutes… and only 5 minutes where played!
Work that out!
Trevor, we don’t get the correct amount of time anymore because referees are shit scared of showing “preferential” treatment towards us. We’ve been royally fucked over by the media since the bitters game.
robbed…our fault for not making more of our possession but we lost to a foul that never was and an offside goal
these refs are scum biased cheats
Fergie should slate this scum referee
Clear ABU example. Nothing about the fucker with the whistle.
It’s a shame we lose a game we dominated in possession and didn’t make a single most appropriate decision in the closing stages of our attacks.
How the fuck can u say SAF was playing for a draw we were the better team today by miles we should have had a pen, the goal was offside simple, the ref was a homer and rooney was onside to in the first half
We lost when we shouldn’t have not because of the referee or because of Chelsea, we lost because for whatever reason SAF decided to take 1 point instead of the 3 that we could’ve easily taken – if we’d brought obertan and owen on earlier (or atleast one of them for giggs) I am pretty sure we would have won today. I’ve been screaming at SAF since 30 mins into the game to get giggs off and get owen/obertan on…simple point – we shouldn’t have lost, we should’ve actually won and its our fault…not the players, but the management.
feel robbed to be honest.Great performance and posed a far bigger attacking threat.
Lost but cant feel too deflated
ps.never a free-kick that led to the goal
Misery, nothing else to add. I don’t think we played bad but there was something that was missing that gave you a feeling, that bar some lucky bounce we are not gonna score and if we add crazy behavior of our players and it’s not good. We are missing a lot of creativity. We can suffocate most of the games but when it comes to creating we are bland. All in all depressing. We should not give up though. There are a lot of games to play still.
what about that cunt Drogba….now that was embarrassing!!
Flopping around like a fish as if he was having a fit.
The guy is a fucking fraud!!
agree Bebeto
these refs should be demoted immediately for not doing their bloody job
there was 3mins for Drogbas injury
2mins for Carvalho
3 mins for all the subs
there should have been 8 extra minutes
terry you effing cheat. cant wait till the rent boys get knocked out of europe
Besty – we dominated yes, but didn’t make that decision to really push chelsea by making some early attacking changes. We just did not exploit our possession. And its not the players’ fault today – I think rooney with a little more support up front would’ve slaughtered chelsea today.
They did not deserve to fucking win. Why the fuck didn’t SAF put on Owen and Obertan sooner??!! We’ve all seen from the dippers game that Giggs can’t play on the left damn wing. They shouldn’t have been given a freekick by the stupid ref, what a cunt.
Top away performance I have to say. Shame we didn’t get at least one point.
Hold your head up high lads, we played fantastically well and deserved the win.
Well despite the loss that was a excellent performance, way better than the anfield one… but obviously we wont get any credit for it cos they scored the goal. But to go to Chelsea and play like that gives me much much more hope for this season – the title is far far far from over
Summary – Utd simply not good enough to cope with big games any more.
No excuses
Becoming the same old tediously poor displays (no doubt better possesion today but did we ever seriously look like scoring?????)
Sir Alex & Mickey Phelans tactical nous cannot match Carlos Quieros
Our only hope for the season
Portugal get knocked out of the world cup and we can get Carlos back!!!!
We buy Villa and Silva in Jan
Other than that – No Chance.
Awful midfield, we need to sign new players in January. Too many average players in our. Hopefully We can catch the chavs before January
robbed
1) Rooney wasnt offside…most likely would have scored
2) Valencia penalty
3) Flecther foul for the goal
4) Giving only 5 mins of injury time
5) Not adding extra 30 seconds when they made another sub in injury time
We played so well without creating something. We deserved a victory yet ended with a loss
With regards to the freekick that chelsky scored from im not pissed at… To be honest these decision go either way.
Drogba was marginal offside, but by christ i am sure our central defender did not fall down under his own accord… Maybe missed by the ref, how convenient
On Reflection on another day we could have had a pen, terry did pull him down..
The lads done well today, a draw was a fair result!…….I agree that maybe owen should have came on sooner although it is generaly always best to give it a few minutes after a goal to see how the team responds.
Enjoyed the match massivly feel we have been slightly robbed.
Get Owen on earlier please SAF. Why are they talking about Drogba in the off side position and not the fact that he fouled Brown!!!!!
Whatever, only 5 points of top and we played well…..
@jamie,i thought our midfield was great today
@Sketch
Our next 5 fixtures
everton(h)
Portsmouth(a)
west ham(a)
villa(h)
wolves (h)
Chelseas next 5 fixtures.
Wolves(h)
arsenal(a)
man city(a)
everton(h)
Portsmouth(h)
our fixtures are winnable.
add to that chelsea losing players due to African cup of nations and having to travel to Anfield an Old Trafford in the 2nd half of the season.PLUS THE 30+ PLAYERS WILL TIRE AS THE SEASON GOES ON.
IF THE PERFORMANCE TODAY WAS AN INDICATION WE ARE BACK AND CHELSEA ARE GOING DOWNHILL.UNITED WITHOUT VIDIC,FERDINAND,BERBATOV OUTCLASSED CHELSEA AND WERE UNLUCKY TO CONCEDE A GOAL THAT WAS NEVER A FREEKICK AND OFFSIDE TOO.
What a fucking cunt the ref was. Not only he allowed an offside goal, but was giving nothing to us, not allowing advantage when we had it, and giving them free kicks when we cleanly won the ball (the free kick they scored from should not have been given in the first place). I now truly believe that there is referee conspiracy against United.
Apart from that, I also think that our decision making in the final third of the pitch was poor. We had enough decent situations to have created better chances and taken at least one.
I feel gutted for our defense. I though they were immense today. They made only one mistake and we concede from it.
We need to improve fast before we leave ourselves too much to do.
1. Decision making in the final stages of our attack was modest.
2. Obertan came when Chelsea players were tired. This happened against CSKa as well.
3. Don’t slam Giggsy. He was poor today but he is a legend.
4. Some decisions from SAF are strange but he is like he is. I also thought he should have made the change but for god’s sake how many of us expected this sort of game today. The tactics were spot on. 2 center backs played a great game. We dominated the middle of the park.
It’s a shame we lost this sort of game.
Dont forget the rent boys cunts still have to play City and Arsenal and us at OT again…so its not all over yet
We played well but we really need to start scoring our chances
We should splash 45m on Villa and Silva
@ 20Legend and jamie – What the hell are you saying, were you watching the fucking game???
Mahesh i think saf got the tatics rite chelsea got very lucky blind fucking linesmen dont help either If we would have got the pen and scored we would have won that game 2/3 0, bit of wonder chelsea dont consede goals at home they are a bunch of cheating cunts
Amen, Tony. Amen.
We’ll never Die.
@jamie
are you nuts.if you ould have said thisa fter the lpool game i would have agreed but today with fletch and ando back we were brilliant.OUTCLASSED lumpard,ballack,deco and essien BY A LONG LONG WAY
i really hope fergie is cute in his interview and just state to rules…
30 seconds per sub to be added on for every one…
Highlight that we had 5 mins of extra time, during that extra time a sub was made by the rules making it 5mins 30 seconds… and confirm he will be asking the ref and the fa why only 5 minutes were played!
Oh lord – stop going on about us being robbed. Robbed of what? A point? We had good possession, played well in patches, but very rarely looked like scoring. When the ball goes wide, cross comes in, and you have Rooney vs. Terry/Carvalho you know that possession counts for sod-all! i said before the game started, if we have to lose, lose with a 4-4-2 where we at least try to score goals instead of relying on some magic by rooney or someone else. It pains me to see that we go into these big games (home or away) with a point on our mind.
Thought the tactics were right today, but that just shows that SAF doesn’t think we have just 2 CMs that can get the job done. The ref made some iffy calls BOTH ways, and Evans is a lucky boy just to stay on the pitch. A bit disappointed not to get a point, thought neither side really showed enough in the attacking end to get the 3. Just one of those games.
rooney through on his own -10mins
valencia pen stone wall
a plethora of phantom free kicks for chelsea
including the one where flether takes the ball and only the ball
free kick is swung in john terry heads it brown pulled to the ground by the offside drogba!
On the match against Chelsea. I thought we did well to contain them and we are the better team today. Been unlucky and lucky on some occasions. As for the goal we are very unlucky for it. However, the performance today is looking great. We didn’t play well and i thought everyone is saying Chelsea playing their best football? We been the better team. Looking good for the 2nd part of the seasons.
agree AIG
I can see Chelsea losing both to City and Arsenal, and we’ll be back in second position by the end of the month with Arsenal top
The rent boys were lucky today..but knowing Karma they will lose a game they deserve to win in the next few weeks
@Trevor
Because we were in possession and he was terrified we might score.
And can somebody tell me since when bringing somebody down in the penalty box by pulling his jersey is a 50-50 challenge?
SKYtv… SAF was spot on…. Jamie why the fuck would Brown just fall down!!!
I don’t know how can people talk right now about the games Chelsea is going to play next. I hate those fuckers. I don’t care what they do. I care about United and we played really good today. I will take that with me tomorrow to work because i haven’t been that dissapointed for a lond time. A working week ahead of me.
We’ll never die.
Today we had a great oppourtinity to end their home record with a win. Imo, the defence did well today, with the exception of their OFFSIDE goal, and we should stick with this defence until rio and vida are back fully fit.
We were missing a whole bunch of first teamers yet managed to perfrom very very well. Give me one team who would’ve played the way we did away who’s missing 4/5 first team players. It’s because we’re champions and we proved today that the title belongs to us.
I wish everyone one of our players was like johnny Evans. I thought drogba was dead.lol.
There you go, you all got your ass’s well and truly beaten, now piss-off back to where you came from.
@aig alex is god, you are correct. The chelski midfield was outclassed. We did lose but things look promising for us.
Obertan was really good when he came on , We really went for it In the last ten minutes , why cant we pressurise like that all the time our defence is good enough to cope with the counter
@ JT’s dad
I think your bitter blue ass was well and truly beaten for 3 seasons in a row and in May 08. So fuck off to where you belong.
Blue is the colour! Blue is the colour…. of shit.
@20Legend – what are you on? Our performance was powerful and we got some stunning play in the second half with some great saves by Cech to keep Rooney out.
18 shots; only 2 shots on target. I dont’ care what people say about how awesome this team is; something clearly isn’t clicking. And blaming the ref is rather silly. Yes, he had a pisspoor game. But in the end, we didn’t do enough to win. It’s as black and white as that.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’d take goals over 80% possession any day.
JT’s dad, got any bags of white stuff left?
Meh. Call me passionless, but I’m not overly fussed by the loss. We were good today, no doubt about it. After our performances this season, I’m just happy for that.
We’ve already had four derby games now, and we’re only five points behind Chelsea. We don’t play our next big game until 30th of January, which is against Arsenal. Get our heads down between now and then, go on a run, let all of those around us have their nervous breakdowns, and all we right in the universe.
Sorted, gaaavna.
@ hustler
we are not talking about the fucking win, no ?
@Mahesh
the 4-5-1 formation was the reason we kicked the shit out fo their 4 in middle.anelka was scratching his head most of the game.drogba was shitting on the pitch.think i overestimated the cunt big time.the reason this happended was beause every time the 2nd ball was won by a united played mostly fletcher and Carrick.Thats why that formation worked and we won the battle.sir alex should have the done the same against the dippers and we would have won
Face the facts, we’re at the top and we’re staying there, you guy’s are on the wane.
At the end of the day…as long as we are within 3 points of the top on new years day, we’ll win the league
Arsenal are too inexperienced still
And Chelsea’s rent boy pensioners will tire
We played well…shame we have to wait 2 weeks for our next match
Obertan must start next match
Fucking tiny tears getting away with murder and that cunt Ivanovic going studs up on Giggsy. Now the FA will surely get in on Evans ass. And why the fuck can’t we put our feet down against big teams? Fucking players keep wasting chances. The only time I can remember Cech got tested was that one time Rooney tried from a distance. Fuck, I’m pissed right now!
@Mahesh – you obviously didn’t watch the match. Rooney had some great shots on, a penalty wasn’t given, they scored from a freekick that shouldn’t have been, a foul and an offside in the same movement. Had they not got that and we scored.. three points.
aig alex is god Said,
November 8th, 2009 @19:13
@jamie
are you nuts.if you ould have said thisa fter the lpool game i would have agreed but today with fletch and ando back we were brilliant.OUTCLASSED lumpard,ballack,deco and essien BY A LONG LONG WAY
————————————————————————————————-
I hate when our fans go overboard about players being brilliant bcuz they were winning the ball back and then giving it away cheaply, get real, we have too many players who just good @ intercepting or making tackles and also when we presssed in midfield, we cant manuever in tight areas instead either we pass it backwards or give it away. Please lets stop celebrating mediocre, look @ our midfield of bygone years, this is shadow. I am fuming right now.
In the first half, Rooney had a great run to space and Ashley Cole kept him onside, even if the linesman had blue tinted glasses
@ Corea
No
@ JT’s dad
see ya in May.
Still don’t understand what some scousers, dippers and arsenals fans do here. you’ve won 3 points go and celebrate on your blog.
miserable.
Who on the chelski squad had a better game than Fletcher. The answer is……………no one. Not fatfrank, nor deco, nor ballack, nor eissen. Other top teams should take notice of our performance today and stamp out the rent boys. I bet you wenger will study this game
JT’s dad Said,
November 8th, 2009 @19:27
Face the facts, we’re at the top and we’re staying there, you guy’s are on the wane.
===========================
Can I have some Cocaine please?
@hustler
1.Manchester United is about more than playing shit and winning luckily.Thats why united have maximum fans and not chelsea becasue of their shit style of football
2.despite being the home team cheslea were crowding their own box defending which was surprising.
3.Rooney would have scored and valencia incident was a penalty.
4.No decision went against cheslea.Atleast half a dozen went against us
IS that enough or you want more?
@ hustler
i wouldn’t have cared about the result if we didn’t play that well.
i don’t blame the ref but all this small things count. at the end of the day it was one those days. we were lucky against Arsenal, this time luck hasn’t been on our side.
JT’s dad is suffering from premature ejaculation. Three barren years without a league title will do that to you. Bless ‘em.
jamie
oh shut up serious, lets look at this united should have had a penalty the goal was not a goal, and we were pressing their midfield, united were not mediocre they were. where was lampard deco lampard and ballack exactly. chelsea had an ace up their sleeve the referee just like th liverpool game.
Costas, King Eric, Drew, Denton, Scott, where are you ?
Put some fu**** decent comments please!
I just loathe the sight of Sir John of Terry more each day. he hauled valencia down by his shirt in the box. a nailed on penalty , then claims it was a 50-50.. you were no where near the ball you weeping british bulldog
I have to say I was prepared for a loss, but not like this. We were the better team, we deserved that goal, that’s why I’m so F-ing pissed.
@jamie
well its a top 4 game so you cant expect it to be a good open passing game.Certainly wont happen against Chelsea of all teams given their shit style of play Some players like Ando and Carrick had their best game today.Signs are good and improving.lets be fair no one thought we could outclass the chelsea midfield which we did.
gutted!!!………… Absolutely gutted………………. worse than defeat to the dippers………………. completely deserved a win, wouldve taken a draw…….
fletcher, carrick, brown, evans, evra, rooney, valencia we freakin fab…….. completely outplayed them
1-0 united in my book
@ aig
1. Never said anything about playing shit and winning lucky. Don’t quite know where you’re getting that from.
2. Chelsea crowded their box. Yes, it’s hard to score when 11 men are behind the ball. But the best teams still find a way. I think we both agree United are the best team in the world. So, logically, we should always find a way. Regardless, we played better but still lost. Shit result. That’s that. But can you say this hasn’t happened multiple times within the past season? We came EXTREMELY close to tying shitty despite outplaying them. Beat Arsenal thanks to a howler from Diaby. I don’t really appreciate this trend we’re seeing. No, we cannot dominate teams and kill them every single time. But it’s been long since we’ve had a killer result against a top team.
3. Agree and agree. Never said we played poorly. We just didn’t make our possession and chances really count.
4. Agree. Shit happens. After SAf went on that bloody inane rant about refs, the occurrence of shit has exponentially increased. But you pick up and move on.
Not trying to pick a fight with you or anybody else. I’m just tired of seeing this United team dominate possession for most games and not really doing anything with it, ref stupidity notwithstanding. I do not think this team is poor; I just think the right balance and formula hasn’t been found for a long time now. SAF, for reasons only known to him, keeps shooting himself in the foot with extremely odd lineups and substitutions.
Five of our first 12 have between against all of those tipped to contend for the title and Champions League places.
Time to go on a run and amass the points against the lesser teams between now and our game against Arsenal in January.
Ahhh, life’s good.
@ Corea
That’s part of my point. I agree with you. I honestly thought we were in for a thrashing and am happy with the shift the boys put in today. However, I don’t understand why we have to keep relying on luck in these big games recently. Yes, luck is always going to be a factor. But playing the way we do, I would just like to see some more ruthlessness. How many times this season and last have we gone down a goal, then finally see United spur into action and occasionally snatch a result? We should come out firing on all cylinders and pin back teams to utterly annihilate them.
Again, I am not saying we played poorly. We rarely do play poorly. But as I have no doubt you know, goals are obviously what count in the end. Still, the performance is positive. Not taking anything away from that
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’d take goals over 80% possession any day”
First point was in response to this.look mate.i am the last person to pickup a quarrel especially with the United fans.but this was the first time we controlled a big 4 game after quite some time.that looks positive.SAF could not do much today becasue there was no Berbatov,vidic and rio,had berba been fit he would have started.You cant argue much with todays team.They played really well.Just putting my point across.i too have criticised the tean after the liverpool defeat but in a game people were expecting we would be outplayed this was a brilliant performance withou some key players too
@hustler.that comment was for you
CHEERS!!!!!
It’s time for some retrospection.
I loved the moment when Drogba was pretending to being killed Vida was standing on the sidelines smiling at the lady boy.
Evans is a man! We gave Vida. We have Rooney. We have Berba. We have legends like Scholesy and Giggsy. What do Chelsea have ?
Really proud of us today.
@ hustler,
We came EXTREMELY close to tying shitty despite outplaying them. Beat Arsenal thanks to a howler from Diaby. I don’t really appreciate this trend we’re seeing. No, we cannot dominate teams and kill them every single time. But it’s been long since we’ve had a killer result against a top team.
————————————————————————————————-
Spot on & that stems from our poor midfield who are only geared towards breaking plays not exceptional vision, exceptional technque in tight space under pressure .
@ hustler
did scousers overplay us last season at OT ? give me some examples when in theg ame between the big 4 teams some visiting team overplayed the other one ? i don’t find too many exaples in my brain right now.
still waiting for some comments and searching for the possitives.
@ aig
I am glad we have cleared up this misunderstanding. What I had meant and, perhaps I did not convey my thoughts properly, was that, to me, “playing well” encompasses both keeping possession and scoring goals. Currently, we seem to be doing a lot of the former but not so much the latter. I can see how you thought I was implying that Goals + playing shit > Playing well. I apologize for the misunderstanding.
And like I posted in my reply to Corea, I am pleased with the performance itself. It’s just that I have noticed a bit of complacency (maybe the wrong word?) in this team. There is no cutting edge, no ruthlessness. I am sure the players themselves feel ruthless and go out to give it their best. But in terms of ruthlessness in front of goal, we are a bit short.
fuckin robbed
It’s like the fucking apocalypse on here after defeats.
We’ll win the league. Don’t sweat it.
“There is no cutting edge, no ruthlessness.”
it is true. but not necessary when you talk about the away game to Chelsea. clearly though the decision making was poor in the final third.
“It’s like the fucking apocalypse on here after defeats.”
maybe i should kill myself but United is almost everything in my life these days. and it hurts. maybe i should find myself an occupation.
Drogba is just a ‘Big girl’s blouse’ honestly have you ever seen a bigger embarrassment in football? If my 10 year old got on like that i would stop him playing football for good.
@hustler
agree that winning is what matters but if you play well there is more chance of you winning than these smash and grab wins like chelsea in particular.we will eventually get things going our way and rediscover the cutting edge and be back to our thrashing best.its only a matter of time after todays performance
@ Corea
I would say yes, they did outplay us. Now before people start jumping on my back: 1) Yes, I did watch the game and still remember it vividly. I watched it with a scouser friend and things between us just haven’t been the same. 2) Judging by you posing the question, you will probably disagree. I am okay with that. I won’t try to convince you. 3) No, they did not “outplay” us to the same degree that we outplayed Chelsea today. But, I do think they were the better team that day. 4) No, I am not a plastic fan. This seems to be the fall-out excuse to belittle the opinions of those who dare to think United have a bad day in the office. I will personally slay anybody who suggests this. With a fork.
Usually (“usually” being the operative word), teams that completely outplay another get a massive result. We are extremely good at dominating teams and pinning them back. On the other hand, we are not so good at getting the massive result.
Based on the way we played, we deserved the win. But people always don’t get things they deserve. Just how it is. I can accept that, if United were just another mid-table team. We are not. That is precisely the expectation placed on United players, exactly the reason why many don’t make the grade. We are expected to play well AND win, all the time. We’re not afforded the opportunity to make excuses.
Why are we moaning about penalties not given or a dubious free kick for chelsea goal?
Goals win games!!
Does anyone remember cech making a save??? I don’t.
I dont particulary care how well our midfield played when we dont make opportunities and we dont work their goalkeeper.
Our Attack is poor and not good enough and our final ball was hopless
Rooney should have played in Anderson when he was clear
Valencia should have played in O shea instead of doin a gibbo
Carrick and Giggs were passing too heavy
Up front we were too greedy and didnt play as a team – and was the reasons why we lost as we didnt take advantage of our domination in the first half
If we have to rely on penalties to win games then thats not good enough.
Last year we were 1-0 up and conceaded a Kalou goal
At OT we litterally battered them.
This year we played for a 0-0 and became unstuck because either way, if you play like that against Chelsea they will always be a threat from a set peice – whether they deserve it or not.
Nah, nothing wrong with a United defeat hurting. I was broken after the Liverpool defeat.. but a bit of perspective definitely never hurts.
Facts are facts (unless you’re Benitez), and we’re still only five points behind Chelsea after the defeat. As I mentioned, five of our twelve games have included Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, City, and Arsenal.. we ended three unbeaten runs out of those.
We now don’t have to worry until January about another big face off, and I think we’ll have found our stride by then.
And to finally put to bed the whole “playing well vs. scoring goals” debate, I don’t think anybody was complaining when several years ago, O’shea scored at Anfield despite Liverpool dominating us to oblivion.
@ hustler
we played away. that was the 06-07 season when we played great attacking football killing the teams in the first halves of the games. that season we won the premiership deservingly. 06-07 is by far my favorite season in the last couple of years. the football we played last season i can’t call wonderfull. for me it is very important to play united way. then come all of the trophies.
hustler
the difference from that day compared to today we did not need the help of the ref, its not the fact we domminated the game but how chelsea got 2 majour decisions go their way makes the defeat more annoying.
SAF:
“That goal should never have been allowed. We’ve dominated the game; we’ve had great chances to win the match – and that’s our fault,” he said. “We had great opportunities to get to the edge of the box and some really good chances in and around the box, but we should be finishing it off.
“We’ve only ourselves to blame in that respect. But you do need a break – and we never got the break we needed.”
I think he did an excellent job of summing things up.
@20Legend
goal keepers are often left with nothing to do in big games.Rooney shot was the one save cech made but cant remember VDS having to do a lot .Cech didnt have to do much because whenever we got on the edge chelsea crowded their penalty area.add to that the rooney offside,penalty that wasnt given and the freekick that led to the goal where fletcher won the ball.are you saying these incidents would not have affected the game
Talking about OT last year we were poor until vidic scored and apart from the 3 goals cech did not have to do anything so.