Tom Clevlerley has scored 7 goals since joining Watford on loan this season and claims this is down to the shooting advice given to him by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“Having Ole as a coach at United means your finishing is going to get better,” said Cleverley. “You need a bit of luck, but I’ve been in the right spot to score. I’m aiming for double figures by the New Year.”
Cleverley had hoped to stay at United during the summer and has again reiterated his desire to be at United.
“Whether I stay on loan depends on Sir Alex,” he contined. “Hopefully I will get a chance at United. If and when that comes, I’ve got to take it.”
Man Utd News 24/7
Why am I not surprised? Ole was the best finisher in all the years that I have followed United.
I hope Tom gets his chance this summer. He has shown a lot of potential.
bring him back, and give him a run.. and btw
“you are my solskjaer, my only…”
Really hope Cleveley gets a new deal in the summer. Cracking little player. Looked decent when he came on pre season against Valencia and scored the second. One of Watford’s best players and the Championship is a tough league.
Ole is one of the Premiership’s best finishers.
Master Solskjaer
The force is still strong in this one : )
Speaking of Old Trafford attacking greats, here’s a funny moment with Teddy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyWKW5fh5qo
Costas – Yeah I remember Teddy doing that. I seem to recall big Ron doing something like that when he was manager of Villa.
Off topic – Just have a look at this, it is hilarious, it must be made up. It reckons United fans are “angry” that Fergie isn’t starting Owen every game and it will ruin his and Ingerlund’s chances!
http://www.in2town.co.uk/Manchester-United-fans-angry-at-Alex-Ferguson-over-Michael-Owen
this boys just classssssssss
@King Eric:
That’s bull crap mate. Reminds me of the aftermath of the FA cup semi against Everton. They would look for disappointed United fans who tavelled to Wembley and try to get them to trash Fergie for fielding the reserves! Pathetic.
I actually commented on this earlier. Capello is a hypocrite. He is willing to wait for players like Ferdinand and Hargreaves, but he thinks that Michael should play more games? Hargreaves hasn’t kicked a ball in 16 months and Owen has more minutes on the pitch this season than Rio. There is only one person responsible for Owen not going to the World Cup and that’s Capello.
On topic, i started having my suspicions about Ole’s magic rubbing off on the youngsters after the win at Derby in Ferbruary. Check out Ole’s goal against Olympiacos at the end of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=undswoUo0MY
And check out Welbeck’s goal at Derby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91GzZhJJp88
As I’ve said before, I have a mate who’s a Watford season ticket holder and he absolutely raves about Cleverley. He’s normally fair-minded and a good judge pf players so I would be inclined to believe he’s ‘an absolute certainty to get to the top – with United’. He says Craig Cathcart is good, but still very raw, needs more experience.
By the way Costas, regarding the FA Cup semi defeat by Everton, it may be true no United fans leaving Wembley would say on camera anything critical of Fergie for his selection but that doesn’t mean no-one was saying things privately. I was in an Underground train full of genuine Reds, many Mancs from the sound of it, and they were full of criticisms, some angry as well as disappointed. I felt the same. Just one or two more experienced players in the line up and we would have demolished Everton. I’m all for giving kids a chance, such as Cleverley, but sometimes the younger players would benefit from older heads around them (unless they’re like Scholes having a ‘mare against Fulham!) I hope Fergie gets the balance right against citeh…
@Giles Oakley:
I have no doubt about that. And during that period, the first thing I said all the time was that I felt for every single Man United fan who made the trip to Wembley. And if I was in their place, I might have felt the same. Fergie did have his reasons for using the reserves seeing as the pitch was heavy and our first team players were tired from a long season, but it was a bitter pill for those fans nonetheless.
What angered me at the time was how the tabloids blew this out of proportion. Fergie might have disrepected the FA cup, but that pitch disgraced it all the more. And instead of focusing on that(or the penalty that Mike Riley didn’t give us), they searched for disappointed United fans to try to stir up trouble.
Hopefully Cleverley will play in this season’s FA cup semi. Along with a few more first team players this time around!
Giles – 3 days after Everton game we played Pompey in the league. 3 days after that we played Spurs in the league. 4 days after that we played Arsenal in the European Cup semi. 3 days after that we played Boro in the league. 3 days after that we played Arsenal in the second leg of the European Cup semi. 5 days after that was derby day.
I completely stand by Fergie’s decision to sacrifice the FA Cup. If we’d played more first team players and they had got injured, our Premiership/European Cup chances would have been put in jeopardy.
Not to mention that the reserve team Fergie put out against Everton almost got the job done, but for Mike Riley using the occasion to prove to David Moyes that he is definitely not a United fan, followed by a couple of shit penalties by our players in the shoot-out.
As for Cleverley; an exciting talent for sure. Can’t wait to see him get his chance in the first team.
On topic — Did his loan get extended for the remainder of the season? I have only been able to watch him play twice this season but in both games he impressed me. Everything he does on the ball is quick and intelligent, and he hardly ever gives the ball away. He can also strike the ball with either foot from what I saw. As KE said, a cracking player.
And what a cool picture. A local lad (i think?) scoring in front of the stretty end.
I really getting p***** off with the Manchester United news around the world.First of all that Man Utd can’t buy player with Ronaldo money because of the debt, the pull out of signing of Adem Ljajic, the rejected bid of Angel Di Maria from Benfica, the news of signing Dodo are not true and lastly that Man Utd are trying to get cash from Tosic.
It getting worst that Man Utd didn’t sign Ljajic because they have a lot of youngster who are coming in the ranks but what the fan really see is the same old faces every week. Where are the new Busby Babes or Fergie Fledgling?I wonder if other youngster like Possebon will be loan & then be permanent at Braga.
I’m very concerned on the future of Man Utd. How many youngster will move on from Man Utd to others club?Just like Pique and now he is winning sextuplet in one season and become the heart of Barcelona defences.After this Man United will known as a feeder club to others in the world and the only youngster can prove them self is in Football Manager games
@zalee
relax mate all is well at the club, no need to worry ljajic just wasnt progressing skillwise as expected were still on top and have no need to be owrried, hte point of this snippet is to show the quality of Cleverley he is top class..
Hope Tom can make his mark at United. Dont want people to start calling him the next ‘so and so’ or start making comparisions. Lets not put pressure on him. Even Frazier Campbell did well at Hull but couldnt make the grade at United. BTW his deal is expiring at he end of the season. why hasnt he be offered another one. Also wasnt it tom who scored the 2nd goal against Valencia in August?
If nanis gonna stat them stick him in reserves for a little bit of teaching. Ole was one the most crispest finishers I have ever seen , what Liverpool have in torres is a player that’s not the greatest not the greatest for the team but he just needs one shot and Liverpool could win 1 nil. Sunderland first game of last season for example , Liverpool did nothing torres hadn’t a sniff Liverpool 1 nil winners after a late torres goal. Ole had all that torres does but was all about the team. His red card against Newcastle was one of the opitions in a pole of greatest sjolskaer moments with the champions league final goal and I think the red card came 4th. The guy could well be a legend time will tell I believe, but I believe football is built on faith, ask giggs, and I belive it had to be ole who scores that goal in that way so he’ll never be forgotten. The super sub who read the game so amazingly in his head while in the bench ment weither he came on at all or weather he came on with 6minutes gone he always played 90 minutes. There was no player sitting on a bench with the biggest set of drogba earphones waiting for a call up. His football brain from day 1 is as crisp as scholes Neville or giggs has after 17/18 years of playing football. The guy is gonna be one amazing manager.
.
And as for Tom please sty on loan if he comes back now there isn’t really a place for him to gain the experience he’s getting nowand maybe next season doesn’t mean he’ll become a forgotten man it means when the time is right he’ll be back with his skill and another year of first team football under his belt. It works ask jonny Evans
@AIG:
Yes Tom got the second that day. I think Tom will make his mark on us. He did score the one and only time I have been at OT so he must be blessed!
I am also surprised that he hasn’t been offered a new deal yet. Maybe they are waiting for his loan deal to end? Either way, we have to tie him up soon, because under new FIFA rules he can agree to sign for another club i the summer starting from January 1st. I think Gibson also renewed his contract very late last season, but it wasn’t ending in the summer.
On another note. Kiko on loan to Zaragoza? I hope it’s rubbish. With Berbatov possibly on the sidelines, we will need all the help we can get.
Costa
loans will all make sence in febuary I believe
I forgot to say good morning everyone…
@GHTT:
You maybe right. And like you said, a loan deal might benefit him, like it did with Evans. It’s just that i want him present in our title run in. Who knows? He might score 1-2 crucial goals again. I am superstitious like that! Also, he is the only “lead the line” striker that we have, so i would pefer it if he stayed and started a bit more.
I’m not bug in rumors and I haven’t bought a news paper since April 20th 2006 but I think unitedin January will buy someone from Valencia.
Good morning costas and everyone.
Hope the kiko thing is rubbish.we need someone to step up in jan or else fergie will be forced to sign someone.maybe an impact signing like arshavin but there is no such player around this time.fergie has been badly let down by nani and to some extent andos inconsistency and most of all by injuries
Ghtt.
Valencia have good players like silva,villa,mata and pablo but their first choice will be spain plus the prices for these players will be very high especially villa
Villa- Too old
Silva- Too light
Mata- Don’t know anything about him
Pablo- See Mata
Have just watched the 93-94 season review. I crave for the blinder today at Hull. They play more football than Fulham do so i expect a cracking game.
Macheda to Zaragoza ? If Fergie decides to loan him let it be. Berba out for 3 months ? I am sure if prices are unreasonable Fergie won’t buy players. We just have to cope with players we have and we (fans) should be ready for this.
There will be a bunch of idiots questioning manager’s decisions. We may well end up with nothing this season but when first questions come to your mind just watch the replay of 06-07 season.
How old is villa how old is Owen and David silva is as strong as vLencia went he plays on the flanks. I’ve been watching silva for 3 years now very closely ever since the first time sky sports news sold ronaldo to real
Well done Ole, he’s getting lots of praise!
“There will be a bunch of idiots questioning manager’s decisions.”
Corea – Some people like to use this site to express and exchange something called OPINIONS. It doesn’t mean they don’t bless the day Sir Alex came to United, it doesn’t mean they aren’t proper supporters.
It does mean they recognise that no manager on earth can get every decision right otherwise they would win every trophy every season, it does mean they recognise Sir Alex gets more decisions right, more of the time, than most, but for those he doesn’t get right – eg a few loans in recent seasons that haven’t helped the long-term development of the players in question – it is interesting to see what other people who care about United THINK.
So, would that be North “Corea” ?
morning lads..
corea: where can i get the 93/94 review? its killing me that i cannot find it anywhere..pls help mate..
hope that kiko story purely rubbish. with berba not in his best patches, we do need a talent like kiko in the ranks. david villa is a decent player, but i do think he is too old for a fledgling united. we need a highly potential young players, just as what went with ronaldo in his early united career. get them young and then turn them into super stars, that what united all about. we never buy superstars just like that, but we do turn players as super stars.
If Ole has been choaching Cleverly and improving his finishing, then it fully explains his excellent form at Watford. Only seen him play once but was impressed non the less, he will only get better when he hopefully signs a new deal in the summer. We have so many young strikers who are full of talent and potential. With Berbatov out for 3 months, either Welbeck and Macheda will get more starts or Fergie might buy a forward in Jan.
Also, the daily mail are reporting that apparently Mourinho snubbed city’s millions because he wants to join Utd when his contract finishes in 2010. I can’t help but feel that maybe he will be Fergie’s successor. He repeated his desire to manages Utd numerous times, Fergie speaks highly of him, and closes sources keep mentioning this to the press. I really would like Larry White to take over instead, with Ole as his assistant. What more could you ask for, two ex-reds managing Utd. Wish it happens.
if rossi didnt cut it here macheda and welbeck should forget about it… end of roll on hull…
if rossi didnt cut it here macheda and welbeck should forget about it… end of. roll on hull…
Fze123
I must start by saying agree or disagree with your comments I’m really enjoying reading them you stand by your claims and know enough to back them up, Larry white as I’ve said on this before many atone and I said on mutv is a guy I’d love at united for all the right things he’s done in management so far are excellent but it’s his disbelief in us wanting to sign gabby puts me off that bot only dishe over look such rawtalent in a very skillful boy but hemisseditall together and couldn’t believe we’d want him. Whatifhe was the united manager when a young overton a young Ronaldo or Rooney comes along would he dismiss him, that’s what worries me
@ FusilliJerry
maybe it was too emotional but i hope you got what i meant to say.
i am so tired of this season so i leave it all to the manager. once in 5 years seasons like 06-07 is not too bad to have.
@ pawaka21
write to me a private message in the RoM forum. same nickname there.
@ Gotta hate tiny tears
Wasn’t Larry baffled that Fergie bought Obertan because he has been injured for sometime and hasn’t been in action for a while? I am not too sure myself. You have a good point, but, we do have excellent scouts at utd after all. Also, if Ole becomes assistant manager, which, optimistically, I think is bound to happen sometime in the future, then there is someone with a vast football brain who can advice the manager on his choices. I am not saying he could change his mind, but he sure will have an impact on his decision making. I just think Larry is the most suitable person for the job. I dislike Mourinho intensely, and the fact that he used to manage the rentboys fills me with contempt. We need someone who can be here for the long term, for a long time. Mourinho is not the type of person who would stay at Utd for 10 odd years or so.
@pawaka21
If you want 93-94 season review, you’ll have to look for it in VHS format, I don’t think you will get it on DVD.
A draw at the Emirates would be good for United really. Don’t know what it is but the atmosphere at the library reminds me of a pantomime.
They are a bloody well organised team are Villa and take some breaking down.
This is what it must feel like to be a dipper going into a game. Nervous as fuck. As long as we have couple of defenders fit and the lads turn up and Fletch is running the middle of the park we will win. Put the pressure on the Chavs.
What is with the fucking bitter City fans? Went to the shops a bit ago and some ex citeh player was on talksport supposedly talking about the smug cunt Mancini. Could not resist a pop at United though. He said “Its good to be the RICHEST CLUB IN THE LAND while the other Manchester club is the most in debt”. Fucking cunt. It is a difference being the “richest CLUB ” and having the richest owners. Hope we knock the fuckers out the cup next week. The worst thing though is the fact that when he said this Rentboy Cundy and Cascarino both just laughed and said “brilliant”. ABU scum. Come on United show the bastards.
Dont know why but now even games like Hull away are worrying me.I am still doubtful about today.The atmosphere there is pretty volatile . Hope there have been no last minute niggles and we can play proper defenders rather than Carrick and Fletcher at the back.we just have to win today Dive,cheat whatever i dont mind anything as long as we win.
Mabye ando needs to watch a few vidoes of ole lol.
Dont worry aig we’ll win 3 0 pal.
Willierednut.hope so mate.just as i type that cracking free kick by fabregas.hope fucking villas luck runs out.
@AIG Yea it was a good free kick, hopefully Villa can get something out of the game
Cracking freekick by fabregas bit of magic wen they needed it.
Bchilds.dont think villa will get anything out of this game mate.they are just a lucky side with half decent players as we saw at old trafford.the wheels will fall off automatically after jan.hope they finish ahead of the dippers in 4th.dont mind arsenal winning either.they will be a point ahead of us but will self destruct as well leaving it a straight fight between us and chelsea.as i type that fabregas scores again
Crap. Villa ae losing.
On the plus side, Wes and Vida are starting!
Hey Tom,comtineu scoring,then SAFwill bring u back.Gudluck.
Kus-Rafael,Vidic,Brown,Evra-Valencia,Carrick,Fletch,Giggs-Rooney,Berba
This team looks awfully like Man United!
Kus,rafael,brown,vida,evra,giggs,valencia,fletch,carrick,berba,wazza
Bench: Foster, Park, Obertan, Owen, Welbeck, Fabio, De Laet
No Scholes or Ando.
Ha ha costas.beat me to it by a few seconds
No excuses today!
Good line-up ))
Come on you reds!
Sorry AIG! It was close though!
Would you look at that? 4 defenders in our defence! Christmas miracle!
Go away aig, I don’t want any cheating or diving, what a pathetic request.
Isn’t Berbatov injured? Very strange. Good to see Giggs, Vida and Wes back and Fletcher and Carrick back in midfield. We have got to win today.
I am a bit worried about the 3 of them being rusty, but at this point we had to take a risk. Carrick and Fletcher had to play in their natural positions.
I hope the 3 of them get throught the game unscathed and that Scholes and Ando are just rested.
Great news brown and vida back.
Great line up.
aig – I wouldn’t be too sure mate. I don’t think for one minute Arsenal will win the league, they will drop points at Fratton park on Wednesday but right now though they look a lot more likely than the Chav’s to challenge us.
As for the atmosphere down at Hull, I wouldn’t worry too much our lads will out sing them.
It is great news but I really hope we’re not risking Brown and Vidic too much and that they come through the game unscathed!
Great that Fletch is back in midfield, such a waste seeing him at right back
I hate to see teams like arsenal beating villa, and teams like portsmouth beating the dippers.
We won this fixture 0-1 last season in a dead rubber game with a weakened team out, so I’m expecting much better this season! A Vidic clean sheat and goal will help my dream team too!!!
watch this video made by fans of Manchester United in Brazil is very cool indeed :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgeIFOYfhag&feature=player_embedded
@Fze123:
Maybe they are holding the operation off for a few months. It would makse sense because Berbatov won’t play in the World Cup.
@King Eric:
Hi. I also hope Arsenal drop point on Wednesday because at the moment they could be ahead of us. Hopefully, and as is the case in recent seasons, February and March will be the time in which they cramble.
Always be closing.neither do i.but we are desperate for the points.so i dont really care.what if united get a lucky peno in the 90th min for and we win.will you celebrate or not? After our recent luck with refreeing we need some decisions to go our way.
I want to see fireworks from Rooney today!
I think Aston Villa reached their high when they beat us 2 weeks ago. Have you guys noticed how when a team beats United, sometimes they don’t do anyhting else significant for the rest of the season?
No complaints about losing to them, just an observation.
“all i want is a fit back four”..look like his wishes had been granted!!!
come on reds….slash the tiger apart.
corea: i will message you. thanks mate
King eric. Hi.exactly what i said.arsenal will self destruct themselves at some stage.not too worried about them
I dont know about fireworks mikekelly12 ill settle for him scoring the winner.
fletch had been back where he belong. hope this will kickstart the same run in as last season, where we had tremendous winning run.
just need a win today, not matter what the score is as long as we come out winners. we have the full team back and should have no excuses. Fletch and carrick are going to be the key players today!!
Spot on costas it takes a lot out of them mate, 3 0 today.
@united.george Spot on there mate, we don’t need a good performance but we do need a result – a convincing performane would, of course, be welcome but the result imperative!
wrong time to post this but has anyone read this
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_5804709,00.html
@AIG:
I have heard about it in recent days. Chiellini is a no nonsense tough defender, but I think it’s just paper talk at the moment.
@AIG Certainly did, don’t believe it as we have the best left-back in world football
bchilds
chellini is more of a centre backand an emergency left back. I dont want him because he is very similar to Vida.good in the air and physically very good but lacks pace
“Difficult. I don’t think anyone expecting the dropping of points by the top four. It just shows you the level of competition in the Premier League. It’s time to buckle down and stop messing about as far as I’m concerned.”
Sir Alex said this just a few minutes back.Hope the lads have taken notice
SAF has said we won’t be buying any defenders in January, I know he has a habit of misleading us but think he is true to his word this year. Don’t think Chellini will come.
Hi guys?have we lost this season with Giggs playing a whole 90 minutes?
Hope so too AIG. Off to watch the first half. Good luck to us.
Brio The kenyan red
Chelsea and Liverpool.Giggsy played the whole game yet we lost
Really? Always thought of him as a left back – proves how long it’s been since I’ve paid attention to Serie A!
Concerned that Alan Wiley is the ref after SAF’s comments, hopefully all is forgotten!
Here we go, come on United!
Alan willey is in charge.how will he perform?
come on united! i can’t believe my eyes, fletch in midfield, actual defenders in the back four! i thought berbatov was hurt?
Thanx AIG.those were strong opponents..hope we kick out this jinx today.GO UNITED GO
good day gents, aig i agree fifa 2009 was much better,2010 waslike awhole new game,i used to be a staunch pro evolution believer but its works terrible online so i changed to fifa,i had arrsenal for a 2-0 win on my accumilator and united for a 3-1,i had chelsea down for a 2-0 win though,giggs that was close
damn!!!!!!!
my god we look terrible…
too many wasted chances. hull should have had a penalty. inspite of it all, united should still win….
fucking hell! thank you rooney.
Thank God for that. Great cross from Fletcher. Wazzaaa!
Certainly not a vintage first half, Brown should have given a penalty away but thankfully from Wiley’s position he didn’t give it.
An ok 1st half but we are sloppy in the final 3rd with the final ball being wasted, come on United!
despite his goal i must admit Rooney has not had his best game. he has lost the ball many times and dropped deep too many times. Good we scored because Hull had a few decent chances and were looking better as the half was going on. Rooney should learn that if he stays in the box he will get more chances like this. No need to run all over the park
Not the best of halves. It’s the same old story of this season. We struggle to score the first goal. Anyway, Rooney was there when it mattered. We better not sit back now.
Mark Bright is such a cock!!
@arsene wenger Good win for your lot today, cracking free kick
wtf was that?
rooney berbatov giggs valencia
EVEN FLETCHER have been so poor
COME ON UNITED get a fucking grip
we need to play much better
best player has to be rafael
he looks good! and nearly every pass has actually gone to a united player
which i cant say for others!!
SORT IT OUT ROONEY!
Yeah AIG, I can’t believe how bad the team are at progressing their game. We were handed a chance on a plate for a few times now and just bottled it. This is just like watching a bad movie over and over again.
Exactly AIG. I think though that he tracks back because the service from the midfield is not the best one and he feels he has to help out there too. Berbatov does the same thing and no one is in the Hull box putting pressure on their defence.
I think Rafael is one of our brightest players in this first half.
Aig it doesn’t matter if we get something lucky, but to hope and ask for it is more than a little pathetic and anti-football.
It feels great to have Fletcher back in midfield with Carrick. For me Rooney and Giggs have been both slightly disappointing, but that doesnt matter as long as Wazza keeps banging them in. I would like to see Berba score and Rafael to continue bombing forward. Come On United.
I’d say it was a poor half from us! We don’t seem to have a cutting edge in the final third. Rooney hasn’t played well for a while now, but he’s the joint leading goalscorer in the prem, so what can we say? Hull’s defence is awful, lets hope we can bag a few in the second half!
lucky to be up 1-0. still, hopefully hull will try to get forward more and we can carve them up on the counter attack. rooney likes to score in bunches, maybe he can get three today!
berbatov’s touch has been poor and he should have had a goal and/or assist already. come on united!!!!!!!!
I hear people say that Hull must feel deflated. I think it’s been an even first half. They have given a few scares, but so have we. Despite of what happened last May, this game was never going to be as easy. In that game, we were playing with no pressure whatsoever. Not it’s a must win game for us and Hull can enjoy it a bit more.
rafa plays well. giggsy meanwhile quite disappointing in my opinion. just pass the ball cleanly. get 2nd goal and we will finish out hull.
Terrible? I thought we are played really well, much better than in recent games. The only problem is we have wasted too many chances. And someone needs to tell Valencia to STOP passing the ball to hull. I hope he plays better in the second half. We’re lucky fat Wiley did not award a penalty on Brown’s challenge.
Rooney is on fire, scored his 13th of the season today. Hopefully he’ll get some more in this game. Him and Berba had many oppourtinities and are playing well together for once.
ROONEH
1.Let rooney stay in the box more.2.valencia to improve his final ball delivery into the box.3.rafael to continue his overlapping.4.carrick & fletcher to tighten things up in midfield.5.the rest to do what SAF tells them to do!!!
We still have no one close to Scholesy in terms of ruling the play. What a legend! Shame Rafael didn’t score (
Costas
To be honest mate i dont think it has been an even first half. We were by far the better team and created a lot of chances we just havent taken them and have been slightly wasteful in the third half. Hull havent really tested our keeper except a couple of half-arsed shots that were easily dealt with by Kus. And that counter, that Hunt bottled with an awful shot. We should be already be up 3-0, but we are not. I hope we get a few in the second half.
Ok. Lets finish them off now.
Valencia needs to start using his pace, thats his main asset. Great cross from fletch need to kill this game of early in the 2nd half.
“Really well” Sorry Fze, this is Hull we’re playing not Barca! We should be dominating and not giving them so many opportunities. Poor half but room for improvement and hope we see it in the second half!
always be closing
i never asked it. i just said even if that does happen i dont mind it. I myself hate when players cheat. That statement was just to put more emphasis on the fact that we need 3 points desperately. You got the wrong meaning.
lucky with the penalty today though. Should have been given
@Sketch:
I see what you mean. I think we must be ahead on shots and corners, but it seems more even because they had that penalty shout. Wiley might have done us a favor there, but it’s not easy to spot.
actually saw the replay again and we cant be sure that it was a penalty. need to see again. probably wes got a touch on the ball
Rooney you stupid fucker!
Wazza, Wazza, Wazza what the fuck was that?!
You have to redeem yourself wazaa!dont kill us pls
Park? Not exactly what I’d call a goal threat but in Fergie we trust I suppose.
Exactly what i said at half time.Rooney should stick to being a striker.not run all over the park. I admire his commitment but his passing has been woeful today. Thats the 100th time he has given it away and has finally been punished. Last thing we needed. Expect Hull to have a go at this now. Self Destruction at its best
Same shit everyday. Im getting sick and tired of us making things hard for ourselves all the time. Why the fuck are we struggling against Hull again? And Rooney what the hell was he thinking?! Please United Score!
Two lads I feel sorry for – Rafael and Kus.
Berbatov…what a disgrace…I used to rate this guy..until today
We are being absolutely bullied by this pub team
What a disgrace…we dont deserve to win this game
Bring on Owen
Evra is having his worst game of a very impressive season. fagan is giving him a torrid time.
More!
GETTT IN !!
Lets make it 3 now
Thank God for that.Now dont mess it again lads. Just hold on for the win adn please Rooney stay up front rather than running all over the park like the Argie twat
there you go! park would’ve tapped it in anyway!
come on lads!
dawson own goal – but park was right behind him and wud hav scored
did u see rooney’s reaction — he really wanted that – lol !
united look so fucking sloppy and disorganized in the back. we’re luck to be up, but hopefully we’ll hang on.
come on obertan. now just let him dribble it round for 15 minutes!
Nice pass by Rooney. Berba!
yes. beautiful football finally. lovely pass by wazza!!!
rooney redeems himself with that pass to set up berba
Glad Rooney did a great job to redeem himself. He just needs to stop dropping so deep and focus on moving the ball forward.
Poor game. Need to improve in the new year!
One good thing came out of Rooney’s gaffe. He stoped giving the ball away. It was about time too.
Not the best of performances, but big runs of wins rarely start with a bang!
Not a great performance by any means. 3-1 is a bit harsh on Hull but we needed the points. Rooney showed both his sides today.The good one and the frustrating one. Fortunately the good one came out trumps today.We looked very shaky today but with more games under the belt of our first choice defence we should be in a good position to mount a 2nd half charge.
I hope we win the Wigan game. =)
2 points behind playing that poorly. Thank God!
Pretty tense to say the least with a performance like that. Mum wasn’t helping with her chirps to encourage Hull. Needless to say, I’m relieved but almost surprised to see where we are in the table.
I don’t know how unbeatable our defence will become again. Rio and Edwin, the two leaders in there, are still out and we don’t know if they will ever rediscover their form of previous seasons. We just have to hope that the rest do their job the best possible way. Last season the order of the day was 1-0. This season it’s 3-1 or 4-1.
Good win, it’s what counted today after Chelsea slipping up.
Spent yesterday arguing with FZE about Berbatov. Today’s performance further proved he isn’t the right player for us.
@ FZE – was Berbatov your favorite player to watch today? All that walking around, giving the ball away, passing it backwards, slowing every break when he got the ball.
Out of 10, from me he scored a 0…
This is what Rooney had to say
Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney: “It was my mistake for the goal and I don’t think the manager would have been too happy if we hadn’t gone on to win. It was a horrible feeling to let the lads down. I don’t think it’s happened to me before. I think it’s a mad league – a lot of teams are dropping points and it’s really close. Hopefully we can be more consistent in the second half of the season.”
Great result, average performance and thank god we’ve got wayne rooney.
Berba looked unfit, hope that was the reason for his poor performance.
I wonder why Rooney it took a mistake like that to wake Rooney up.The Rooney we saw after that mistake is the Rooney we know and is the Rooney i want to see more. One who likes to run at defenders and stay up front more.rafael and Evra had poor games but Vidic looked pretty good at the back.
Am i the only one or did anyone else notice that we gave the ball away far too many times and commited lot of fouls and that too in dangerous areas
Yeah, I agree, Berba was poor today, but there were no real stand out performances today for me? Lets see what happens in the new year? Please god let us improve as these performances are becoming difficult to watch!
@AIG:
I think it’s a genaral we have with teams who hustle us like Hull did today. We don’t know how to get out of jams and end up giving the ball away or commiting silly fouls. I think the best way to deal with this is get a hold of the ball and control the midfield.
I thought Rafa was good today. Up until the penalty anyway.
Don’t want to avoid the Berba subject. No, it wasn’t a good game today. But then again it wasn’t a good game for a lot of our lads. I don’t know if his injury has limited him to a degree or what it is. I will just maintain my stance. As long as Berba doesn’t stay up front, then we won’t see the best of him. Rooney is tracking back, there is no reason for Berba to do the same.
On another subject, has Valencia entered a sticky patch?
We need to go on a run of wins now. It’s not just Chelsea here. Arsenal has been creeping behind us unnoticed and now they’re only 2 points away with a game in hand.
Yeah, Costas. It seems he’s on a poor form recently. Most of his crosses almost always never goes through.
Costas
I thought rafael was good going forward but defensively he has to improve. Seeing the replay there was no need to commit the foul for the penalty becayse their striker was not certain to score. he looks good going forward but has to work on his defensive positioning so that he dosent get caught out like he was quite a few times today
I forgot, vida was top class back to his imperious best.
Costas
valencia had a poor game today and has been for the last 3-4 games. His crossing has been poor and opposition teams have figured out his one dimensional play now. he has to do different things, use his left foot(if he knows how to) and start cutting in more and making runs in the box. if he plays like this even if he gets 15 goals this season i wont be happy. He has to improve.
2 points behind. sloppy win, but we’re closer to the top and that’s what is important. the leeds match will be huge, but to be honest i’d take a league win over wigan than a cup win over leeds right now. hopefully we can get both.
@costas
good point about edwin/rio. i think i’ll have a lack of confidence in our defending for the rest of this season at this rate. have our defenders forgot how to close people down? it seems like all the teams we play no matter their quality, are being given ample space to create scoring opportunites.
i know fergie says we won’t buy in january but it seems hard to believe he won’t buy a proper centre half. i also don’t believe that chelsea won’t buy this january either.
is anybody else now worried about arsenal and even man city?
@AIG:
I agree that the penalty was needless. But overall, i think he was ok defensively for most of the time. The biggest problems were created on Evra’s side. As you said, the problem with Rafa is how committed he is to going forward. I must say that there are few times in my life that i have seen a full back drive himself so forward that he has crept into a center forward’s position!
In light of what has happened in recent months, i think 3 points plus no new injuries(crossing fingers) is a very good weekend for us!
Very irritating game
The amount of time we gave the ball away to Hull reminded me of the Barca game – I mean which part of our team is inferior?
Very happy to see Rooney put things right after his mistake
Very happy to see Berba play with Wayne – no matter what anyway says with Berbabtov – he has a thing with a football – and he scored.
Glad to see Vidic and Brown finish the game without problems.
I hope we can carry on from here
@ Costas
Berbatov was terrible today – but fair point not many of the lads played well.
Surely it’s not just an injury, unless he’s been injured since the Summer of 2008. Not good enough, simple.
I agree about Valencia, been poor over the last few games, gone missing completely. I want to see him commit more defenders at pace, then he’ll be doing his job better. At least he works hard so when he plays badly he’s still contributing.
What’s happened to Nani? Is he dead?
i thought fletch did well in midfield distrupting their drives. Carrick looked shaky with some of his passes. I do have to say I am impressed with Kuz. He does his job well overall. Berba needs to try and attempt more shots from outside the box, sometimes his last minute pass to find rooney could have been a shot attempt…he used to take more outside shots with spurs. he needs to do that more becomes he sometimes is predictable that he will look for a pass and defenders will just push him around until his pass goes wide.
@rooninho: A bit worried about Arsenal, but i think that they are due a blip. And they did lose Fabregas today. I think the game at the Emirates next month will be huge.
@AIG: We have talked about Valencia again and i asked because it’s becoming more apparent today. They have figured him out to a degree, but even when he is free to cross, as hurr said, he doesn’t get them over the first man. Who knows? Maybe Fergie is trying to work on another department’s of his play(like shooting) and he hasn’t practised enough crossing. But i wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t start against Wigan.
all I got to say is despite how poor united were. if they can be this poor and still be 2 pts behind chelsea with all the injurys players left and sold then united could win the league.
rooninho
I am a bit worried about Arsenal because they are a good side as they showed today thrashing VIlla.But they have the ability to self destruct and have RVP out for the seaso. Fabregas looks in top form though. Always rated him very highly. Good to see him doing well.
Man City i am not bothered. Expect them to go on a 5-8 match winning run now and then the wheels will start falling off again and the managerial CIrcus game will start again
For me, mourinho is the best choice. Guardilo is not bad, but…Barca gave him the best team of all times, and then he won all these trophys. That doesnt mean he is not good enough, but we can t be sure of that. We need class, someone who proved that he is a calss. Mourinho i think it is. My opinion is that Mourinho sholud go to Spain, won few trophys and then get back to our club and be here the rest of his life
@MG
My gran would have scored that, it barely counts.
North Stand Tier 2
nani had an ankle injury and will be out for another week.
@North Stand Tier 2:
Nani has had an ankle problem for the last few weeks. I think he will be back by the new year.
I think there have been games in the last 16 months where we have seen Berbatov’s influence. For example, he was a big factor in our 5-2 win over Tottenham. And this season, the team became more lively when he came on for Owen against Wolfsbug. The problem is that we haven’t seen him impose himself in a lot of games. If his pace is an issue, then he must not be allowed to track back. And i am befuddled why he keeps doing it.
Costas
You are right. he may not start. park looked good after he came on. Still it is mysterious that a player who’s crossing was pretty decent as we saw against valencia and Wigan in august now cant even get his crosses past the first defender
mara
I agree with you on Mourinho but not many people here will agree as United fans want someone who is United through and through and who understands the club as the next manager.I wont mind Jose though. he has most qualities that SAF has and is the closest i have seen to SAF
AIG
The good thing for Valencia today was that he didn’t get the award for worst cross of the game. Obertan did.
Seriously, it is a worrying sign since as you said, his crossing was fantastic in the opening weeks of the season. Also, i would like to see him switch to the left wing a bit with Giggs or whoever is on the left coming to the right. It’s something we have done in the last few seasons and it has made our attacks unpredictable. He won’t have to cross with his left. Just cut inside like Nani and Park do.
@north stand tier 2
Ive seen your gran play i dont think she wud ave scored lol.
Costas
Lol. Obertan’s cross nearly went out of the ground.The best example of interchanging positions and making attack unpredictable was the 7-1 against Roma where Ronny and Giggs tore Roma apart on the wings. Unfortunately due to Valencias one footed nature that may not happen.
@ North Stand Tier 2, he was certainly better to watch than Valencia, who was woeful today. Poor crosses, gave the ball away too many times. Frankly every player did. At least Berbatov scored, even though he played badly. So, his performance today reinforced your belief that he just isn’t the right player for us. Even though he is playing with pain and needs injections before each game. Fair enough. Opinions are opinions. I just have to accept the fact that he will never be appreciated for whatever he does. Out of interest, do you think Tevez is better?
berbatov yet again was poor, can someone tell me how many times are we going to carry this bum, rooney at times is carrying this attack and you put rooney with a far better striker united will be 5 to 6 pts clear.
Fze 123
Forget it mate. Those who hate him will hate him. Those who feel he is good will feel that way. As i said yesterday till the time he dosent score 100 goals, gets 50 assists and runs as fast as Usain Bolt some United fans will never appreciate him.
My thought is simple. talking about tevez is pointless as he is not at United. Berbatov is at United, as fans we have 2 options,either we back him or we keep slating him. I prefer backing him, some dont,its their choice
@costas/aig
didn’t know fabregas hurt his hamstring again, that makes me feel a lot better! i still worry about arsenal because it seems like they are getting very little pressure from the media, and i think they can use that to surprise everybody. with their game in hand i wouldn’t even be surprised to see them top of the table at some point. i’m just hoping that they fade in the end (as they have been prone to do in recent seasons) and we can find our usual dominant form for the run in.
as for city, how big is this carling cup match up becoming? any postive result for city against us and i think they will gain loads of confidence for the run in. also, if they win their game in hand they would only be 5 points behind us in the league. however, if we can beat them in the carling cup i think we can shatter their belief for the rest of this season. we are definitely starting the new year with some crucial matches!
I thought we played slightly better in the first half. In the second, we were shocking. We kept giving the ball away in dangerous places, kept passing the ball to orange shirts, wasting chances and corners. Fergie really needs to tell both Rooney and Berbatov to stop dropping deep. They don’t need to, now that we’ve got a fit defence. It’s so exasperating to watch. We looked better than we did against Fulham and villa, but we need to up our performance level. Our performances have been average, to say the least, by our own high standards. 3 points are all that matter anyway.
aig alex is god – tell me then what would have happened if rooney was not playing, tell me apart from the goal what did berbatov do today? I would like to know that? because he done bugger all, you pair rooney with a far better striker united will be a far better attacking side.
- berbatov is like veron bags of talent nice flicks but does not fit into the jigaw puzzle, berbatov is never involved in the attacking play and I dont think he has what it takes to raise his game when it matters or get better. what you see from berbatov is what you get because rooney was on his own driving united forward and it was 19th place hull.
@aig alex is god, I did not intent to rave about Berbatov, but it was brought up anyway, as it always is when he has a bad game. I just think it’s unfair that he gets singled out the most when we don’t perform well. I will not bother to defend him again, I have realised it’s pretty pointless.
rooninho
sorry to disappoint you but Fabregas should be fine and the injury isnt serious but i agree that they will fade in the end as they have done all these years.
talking about City i have a different view to the Carling Cup game. I feel we must play kids and keep or focus on the league. I dont want us to lose more players to injury. I city come out on top good for them but it wont affect how they do in the league. their defence is shocking with those 2 clueless cunts Toure and Lescott in there. Talk about spending 40 million on those 2 .makes me laugh. The january transfer window may improve them though. Also the apparent unrest with bellamy, Given being unhappy with Hughes sacking may unsettle them
fze 123
exactly mate. Its pointless to try and defend every time. I have got sick of it myself now.I know all that you meant to say was we should get off is back and i agree on that.Every time there is a bad result he is blamed for that. He is playing through the pain barrier.Lets give him credit for that.
rooney the new king
hi. i am not disagreeing completely with you nor agreeing. The reason i always say Berbatov-rooney partership is failing is because they are playing similarly. Both are dropping deep and it is affecting us as no one is in the box when teh final ball comes in. One of them has to stay in and around the box so that they can link up well. I would say that should be berba because he dosent have pace and hence dosent get in the box quickly.Its high time SAF sorts this out and tells one of those 2 to stop dropping deep.
I still say that those 2 can play well together but Berba’s injuries and SAF mostly playing a 4 -5-1 isnt helping their partnerhip blossom
i see lot of fans complaining too much when united not playing well and lost a few games back. it’s ok if just need to pour our frustration. but for me i look at overall result of our rival. i think we doing okay. just little disappointing becoz we can level on with chelski.
hope they will drop 2 more point this midweek and united win. come on united.
@aig alex is god
understand totaly where your coming from, i have been thinking his for quite some time.
If we look at berbas & rooneys general play and areas of the pitch both playthe same simular game.
Both come deep to receive the ball.
Both dont playon the last defeder
Both dont have enough pace or stregth to power past defenders like Bent, Drogba or torres.
Both Prefer ball to feet.
Both dont like to play simple football and are often looking for the spectacular rather than the productive at times!!
I was bitterly disapointed with our performance today and do expect players of that quality to be performing better!
For me i am happy to give berbatov till the end of the season to see how he performs but at the moment what he is giving just doesnt look good enough.
in addition i think this will be a big season for rooney, He now has to raise his game and perform week in week out. I do feel sorry for him however as all our expectations are put onto him specialy with the type of player he is we wont see the best of him until his later playing years. Players like him in the past start to shine when they reach27 or 28, i rate him like berchamp or baggio or zidane for that matter!
I agree with Costas, I thought Rafael did very well today (apart from the penalty, which was soft, and maybe a make up call for the deserved one from Wes in the first half).
Thought Wayne was poor (again) up until he gave the ball away for their goal. Then he got pissed off and actually started playing like we all know he can.
Don’t want to jump into the Berba discussion (although I enjoy reading the posts) because hell, he’s our player and we paid out the nose for him and we need him.
I admit I was questioning SAF when he brought on Park for Valencia when we needed a goal. I thought Giggs should have been the one taken off at that time because it seemed to be one of his Cold days. But Park did well I thought.
Again, I apologize, and I know he is very young and that he only got a few mins today, but I just don’t see what all the fuss is about Obertan. Some on here seem to think he is the second coming… But I just see a second coming of Bellion. Althought, he did play a nice ball into the path of Carrick that started a break and I think ended with a decent effort from Wayne.
@trevor
Spot on mate. Hope both can gel well together soon.talking about physical strength Rooney is pretty good at that and can trouble defenders but he has to play in an advanced role. he did a great job at Portsmouth and today when he played higher up. On the contrary he was frustrating last weekend and against Villa when he tried to come too deep. he just has to stay up front. The chances will come.Hope SAF sorts things out so that we can see the best of both these gifted players
I understand why Berba even when he plays poor, play from the start, becuase we paid him so much. But we have Owen on the other side who plays better, but he needs 3 games from the start. Maybe i m crazy, but i want owen to play. Rooney and Owen are very fast, so i think that they should play together. I don t understand how he can get so many chances intead of owen?
And about a transfers…..what scares me the most, is the fact that after the WC (not toillete
) price of players will be even more than now. I have a feeling that we always pay more for the player than he actually worth. Like SAF said, there is not value for money. Always some stupid idiot pull up the prices of players. One year is RM, another Barca, ManCity, Chelsea…i m getting ill from all these clubs.
@ trevor – because both are not your classic no 9 strikers and united have no outlet and it makes uniteds attacking play easy to defend agains, meaning united have to score a genius goal not a veriaty of goals. to be fair rooney does run the channels and he can play on the shoulder of the defence and he does have the strength.
- but rooneys 3 big problems are he does not stay central, he does not have the physical precence, and rooney does not have that direct pace at a 5 or 6 yard run that torres does to perfection. rooney is built to play with that classic no 9 striker because of his hright he likes to go right left and thread forwards through.
Costas @ 19:17: “Don’t want to avoid the Berba subject. No, it wasn’t a good game today.”
It’s hard to avoid the Berba subject – he had a tap-in but did fuck-all otherwise. I kept my eye on him throughout the match – as far as one can do that while sitting on the couch and watching telly in Toronto – and he was really, really, really lousy. Just a waste of space. I thought that SAF would substitute him first, rather than letting him play the whole game.
Otherwise, it was a pretty lacklustre performance from TheLads – no rhythm, no consistency, no coherence. Even Patrice Evra had his worst game of the season. Giggs was dire. Valencia made one terrific cross but not much else. But the insertion of Vidic and Wesley sure did tighten up the back line – Fletcherinho was just massive in midfield; he had one of those terrier-like games that make his contribution so essential a part of the team’s success.
But, most importantly, UTD are now just two points behind the world-dominating RentBoyz. But, TheLads are also one point behind TheArse, assuming that they win their game-in-hand. Assuming that UTD flog Wigan on Wednesday – and I sure hope that Berbatov gets stuck to the stands and that Little Mikey is given a chance, unless KikoTheKid is game-ready – the goal-differential should be increased, too. This makes the RentBoyz’ game against Fulham a real potential banana-peel for them and a draw is not an unlikely result from that fixture. Let’s all cross our fingers on that !
And one more think about Obertain and rest of young crew…I know that in most of cases is too much…but right now, we need some young player who can in very short time show quality. These guys are good, but we have no time. We need to get this title, and with this team it is tight. What i pray god, is that when SAF decide to buy someone, that that shows like a really good reinforce…
“nani had an ankle injury and will be out for another week.”
My own suspicion is that this injury is a red herring – he’s being kept under wraps so that he can be sold on during the January transfer window, as a partial payment towards Angel Di Maria.
Of course, I have no evidence about this – just a suspicion.
Berbatov is not at all near been fit enough to start a must win game, please Wayne Rooney make a balls up in every game so you can play how you can play to makeit up. And to think I spent last night and tonight trying to prove Wayne to be worldclass
I am not pleased at all to hear the two transfer rumors going around about us today: the one with Juve’s Italian defender, and the one with our Italian striker.
I thought Kiko was injured and thats why he wasn’t even making the bench?
denton davey – I thought lou macari on MUTV summed berbatov up really, he said you look at rooney and he is picked 10 times out of 10 because rooney is what you call 100% he never lets you down, berbatov is picked 6 out of 10.
how good is this angel di maria? i’ve seen him play a few times but never been blown away. i’ve heard silly money being banded about (£30m+), surely Fergie isn’t going to spend that?!
he doesnt even get in the argentina team ahead of Gonzales for the geordies…
” berbatov is picked 6 out of 10″ Why ? on what basis is there optimism that he won’t “let us down” ?
Not that it matters a fiddler’s fuck, but I’ve tried to be patient with this guy but he just isn’t the right partner for Wayne Rooney who may do some daft things but is quite clearly the rock on which SAF is building his next team. Rooney has played best when linked with RVN or EmileIvanhoeHeskey or LouisLouisHaHa – three very different center forwards who all play BOTH centrally AND forward. Sure, Rooney played well with CR and Carlitos in the interchanging whirligig of 2007-9 but a lot of that was due the incredible brilliance that CR could conjure up. He’s gone and now we’ve got Dimmy – the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Of course, it’s not up to me but I’d seriously change tactics – maybe even going with the 4-6-0 that Spalletti played at Roma, when he used Totti as the spearhead of a six-man midfield but I’d be loathe to put any eggs in LittleMikey’s basket. Using that Spalletti formation would be like a 4-5-1, with Wayne Rooney as the lead striker but it would be a way to accommodate his wandering ways.
I’d also be willing to give KikoTheKid, Danny Welbeck, and even Mame Biram Diouf chances before I went back to playing Dimmy. As far as I’m concerned, he’s had sixteen months of chances and – leaving aside today’s tap-in – he’s hardly done much to inspire confidence that he can be the player that will bring out the best in Wayne Rooney and that’s crucial because UTD’s eggs are in Rooney’s basket.
One thing is for sure, IF UTD continue to splutter on attack like we saw today then it will be a miracle to win the EPL – the only consolation is that the RentBoyz are going to swoon and TheArse flatter to deceive by gang-raping weaker teams when they get ahead. I really, really, really, really hate to say this but the premature obituaries about LiverPoo might end up looking really, really, really, really silly – except that their defence is in a shambles.
No matter, though, none of the other contenders – or even the pretenders – have been impressive so far this season and, therefore, it’s all up for grabs over the next five months. Of course, we want TheLads to win – but we also want them to win in style. Right now, winning looks possible but style looks unreachable for this combination and that won’t change as long as SAF trots out Dimmy in the #9 jersey.
Berbatov was immense today. £30m? On today’s showing I’d have paid £60m for him. It’s like having twelve men on the pitch, maybe even thirteen! I’ve already watched his goal back 200 times on YouTube – it just gets better each time.
Anyone who still doubts this man’s class is an idiot who doesn’t understand football. For me he is the best striker in the world at the minute.
If only the likes of Rooney, Fletcher and Evra could step it up to Berbatov’s level, we’d have this title sewn up already.
North Stand: “how good is this angel di maria? i’ve seen him play a few times but never been blown away”
It’s a bird-in-the-hand versus two in the bush scenario – from the three or four games I’ve seen I agree with your assessment about Di Maria. He’s naturally left-footed but otherwise I really don’t rate him above Nani or even Obertan or even Valencia,who is older than both Nani and Obertan and, therefore, is less likely to improve whereas – optimistic fool that I am – I still hold out for Nani to come good.
Otherwise, play the Da Silva twins at outside left and right – for sure, they ain’t defenders.
@Denton Davey
I agree with everything you said except this:
“I really, really, really, really hate to say this but the premature obituaries about LiverPoo might end up looking really, really, really, really silly”
Don’t even fucking think it, mate!
@ Denton – I disagree with your formation changes.
Utd = 4-4-2
We just need a striker with pace and power to play on the shoulder of defenders, so Rooney can roam behind. David Villa? Would he come to the prem, I’m not sure he would?
Another winger is essential if Nani’s Utd career is over which it seems it must be – I don’t believe this injury nonsense. Like you though, not sure about Di Maria.
Interesting point about the Da Silva’s, probably don’t offer quite enough going forward for that position though – remember how young they are (19?), I think they can develop into great full backs given time.
Interesting idea about using the twins as wingers. Didn’t Fabio score a hat-trick in a reserve game against Liverpool playing from the left wing? That’s no mean feat for any winger, let alone a left-back playing out of position.
“Don’t even fucking think it, mate!”
Sorry, Fred, but it ain’t over ’til it’s over and the EPL has been so screwy that I wouldn’t discount LiverPoo winning it all – I wouldn’t like it but I wouldn’t discount it YET. Clearly, they’re on a knife’s edge and just one or two more losses would make success impossible for them – and that’s what I’m hoping for, starting at Villa Park in a few days’ time.
Fred obvious that is a joke post when he is not even worth 18 million.
@ denton davey – anyone should have known when berbatov was at spurs he dropped deep and we all know when he was at spurs it was a club where games were never has critical, berbatovs time at spurs was like going to the bahamas it was a relaxing time you did not have to produce the goods every week.
- When you come to united your A game has to be stepped up and hard work and performing week in week out, rooney knows this and the great united players all do that is why they get their names chanted in the stands and become legends.
before, i went to this site and everybody, with some few exceptions, was hailing berbatov, saying “if you don’t understand berbatov, u dont understand football”
now everyone is slating him.. not thinking about the injuries he has had/has, and giving him some time to get fully fit.. now this is just sad, and this site is turning into theantiberbatovrepublikofmancunia.com starring rooney the new king and denton davey
“We just need a striker with pace and power to play on the shoulder of defenders, so Rooney can roam behind.”
UTD had that guy but sold him to TheVirus for eighty million quid. David Villa would be a great buy if he was 22, 23, or 24 but he would be outrageously expensive at 29.
Who else ? From my vantage-point, there are a lot of massively over-priced and over-hyped possibilities like Sergio Aguero. For fifty million – Please ! or Franck Ribery for the same amount or the Uruguayan guy at Ajax for a few million less. No value there – maybe at half the price but probably not. Or, how about Karim Benzema for forty million Euros – i.e., thirty-five million quid at today’s exchange rate ?
Or you could try bottom-feeding from the EPL for someone like Kevin Daview or EmileIvanhoeHeskey who would cost next-to-nothing; or Kenwyne Jones who would cost “only” twenty million; or Hugo Rodallaga, for “just” fifteen million.
Or how about Shola Ameobi for a bag of peanuts and two sheets of green stamps ?
SAF said that the problem with the transfer market is that prices are out-of-whack because relatively good players like Aguero or Ribery are now being priced in relation to the money UTD received for the world’s best attacker. My “suggestions” reflect that – except, of course, for Shola Ameobi.
BerbaGod – well look at rooney despite at times he was poor he still was trying that extra yard to try and win united that game, united are not doing great and with ronaldo gone the likes of rooney fletcher evra giggs know they have to step up even more and be on top of their game even more. not everyone slates him some think he is great but to make a career that lasts for years at united you have got to do more, much much more.
rooney the king.. i just suggest that berbatov was, imho, immense before he was injured and that we should give him some games before we shout “sell him SAF”.. do anyone actually believe that SAF will sell him? the last time he spoke about berbatov in the press, 26. november:
“I have no complaints at all. I think Dimitar is doing very well for us. His record at international level gives an indication of just how well he has done for his country, but he has scored important goals for us also,” the Scot told his club’s official website.
“I have no worries about him. I am happy with his form, I am happy he is with us.
“I couldn’t be happier with him.
@BerbaGod
Nice of you to join us, Dimitar. Congratulations on your goal today. That’s 5 goals in your last 30 matches – you’re on a hot streak at the moment, a real goal machine!
@BerbaGod – LOL berbatov was immense I cant believe you put berbatov and immense in the same sentence. berbatov was ok above average he has been. rooney giggs fletcher evra have been immence not berbatov.
- yes I do think he will be sold in the summer if he plays like this till the end of the season, and fergie never slates his players in public and if united had a better striker to patner rooney united would be 5 to 6 pts clear.
yeah rooney the king..
what you do now is to blame berba for everything.. You suggest that we would have had 7-8 points more if berba was not in the team.. not thinking about how shit we played without him vs burnley for instance and the way he saved a point for us versus sunderland..
you also suggest that fergie never slates his players in public, but if he did, he would really slate berbatov.. well I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it
“It is totally out of the question. There is no way we would sell him – or any of our best players.” ~ Ferguson on David Beckham, April 2003
“I am staying at Manchester United,” the Portuguese winger stated last night, and he was backed up by the manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who claimed Ronaldo had given “no indication that he wants to go”. ~ Ronaldo & Fergie, May 2009
“I have no worries about him. I am happy with his form, I am happy he is with us. I couldn’t be happier with him.” ~ Fergie on Berbatov, November 2009
Denton — I watched the Pool game yesterday dude and I honestly think they would have tied 0-0 had the Hull player not been sent off. Up to that point they kinda looked like us, loads of possession but fucking up the final pass again and again.
BerbaGod – I am not blaming him for everything but united would be a better attacking outfit with a better striker that is more involved in the attacking play. I know injurys have played a part I am not stupid but a better striker would give united that many more pts, we have seen torres make liverpool a better attacking side than what they actually are.
As for my ideal player to partner with Wayne… Its gotta be a fully fit, injury free Louis Saha clone. Basically a striker with the following qualities, in order of importance:
1. Pace to burn
2. Good, instinctive finisher. Doesn’t really have to be Zidane with link up play, thats for Wayne and the outside mids to do.
3. Willing runner (not headless chicken tevez style, but just not a guy who stands around up front kinda like Ruud in his last year)
4. Decent in the air. Doesn’t have to be a Giraffe like Crouch, but just someone who can poise a threat with all the of the crosses that get put in.
So, who is out there that matches these qualities? Or perhaps offers something close?
I think that guy from Wigan, Rodiellega or whateverthehell his name is, could be an option. And he wouldn’t cost an outrageous amount.
And I’m not saying we “need” a new signing, but just speculating here…
oh, lets end the discussion right now.. fred has found a well hidden, secret path.. Berbatov will be sold, and I surrender..
Drew Vader, I agree. Yesterday’s game proved just how shite Liverpool are. The way all the substitutes ran on the pitch to celebrate a goal against Wolves shows what kind of level Liverpool are at. They are more concerned with staying ahead of the likes of Birmingham City and Fulham than catching Chelsea and United this season.
BerbaGod,
if Fergie is so happy with Berbatov, why is the £30m man constantly dropped for the biggest games; such as the Champions League semifinals, Champions League final, Liverpool at home last season, Arsenal at home this season, Chelsea away this season, etc?
i mean pattern, not path
He was terrible. We were terrible again.
Good job Chelsea are also shit.
BerbaFAIL
Guys don’t want to ruin your conversation or anything, but lets save the Berba bashing for the time United do drop points and he is at fault. I could understand the fuss after the miss in the penalty shoot out at Wembley, but today it seems unnecessary. Lets focus on the positives. The title is in our own hands again, the defenders are coming back and we finally saw Rooney show hunger and desire to get us out of the jam. Berbatov had a quiet game like Giggs, Valencia and Rooney(in the first half) did.
Berbafail, Berbaflop? Pathetic.
Hull put up a tough fight today. Good three points. Not a great performance but the points are what matter. Great to have Fletch and Carrick back in the middle and Wes and Vida at the back.
@Costas – I cant stand being negative but berbatovs performence today deeply disturbed me, especially when we see how rooney did all he could to win united the match.
@rooney the new king:
I understand how some people can get frustrated. And there was a time during the game when I was frustrated with Berbatov too. But the guy can’t change just for our sake. He is no Ronaldo, no Rooney and no Tevez. He is who he is. It’s unfair critisizing him for that. I think that people(and I am not talking about you in particular) who have a problem with him, should point their fingers at Ferguson because he is the one who has stuck with him for 16 months now. I wouldn’t have a problem with that. I am not one of those who think that Fergie can do no wrong.
Just to clarify. I don’t mind critisizing Berbatov for having a bad game. I did it earlier myself. I just don’t think it’s time to start calling him flop or fail. In my opinion of course.
Costas – he certaintly is no rooney or ronaldo but I would not use tevez has an example who tevez is an average player. I am not blaming fergie he sends players out to do what they supposed to do best, yes he has got it wrong with transfers but it is all down to the players.
- I mean how can berbatov play so well at spurs yet look so out of his depth at united. I would rather berbatov have the reputation andy cole had where it takes 3 chances to score a goal, but berbatov seems so much like juan veron how he performed at united.
but the upside is during all this injury crisis and loss of form is united are 2 pts off the top, chelsea look awful they will lose players in jan and they dont buy anyone in jan, and united getting players back it is not all bad. But certain players have to step up, like (robert downey jr) says in tropic thunder its time to man up.
@rooney the new king:
I mentioned Tevez, because (especially last season) the two players were compared to one another. And the question was raised why we used that money on Berbatov and not Tevez. Anyway, that’s last season.
There are a couple of reasons why Berbatov might have not performed at the same high standards he did for Spurs. The first one is the obvious one. That it’s different at United. Forlan had the same problem at first. He had scored a lot of goals in Uruguay, yet he struggled over here. The second one in my opinion, is the fact that at Spurs they utilised him more effectively in attack. Martin Jol and Juande Ramos figured that he is better off as the target man. Ferguson believes that Berbatov should be tracking back. By doing that though, it’s only natural that he won’t score as much.
And I truly feel that people who feel that Berbatov is a flop should question the manager’s judgment. Nothing wrong with that. If I were they, I would wonder why SAF sticks with a player who hasn’t helped us at all in over a year.
And rooney the new king i agree, that players have to step up. Like Rooney did in the second half today. Berbatov, Valencia, Michael Owen and Obertan can all do better.
Just something on Lou Macari, because I saw his name mentioned earlier. I have nothing against Lou the player, but as a pundit he is a bit too biased for my liking. The way he slates Berbatov and the way he used to slate Veron, I don’t agree with. He acts as if these players came on their own at United and weren’t hired by someone. Why not just say that Fergie might have got it wrong with these players? Is it really that bad?
@Costas – great posts mate, that is a disturbing state forlan scored loads for uraguay but very little for united, it does seem identical with berbatov. yea like I said fergie has got it wrong on the transfers a phew times and he may have still with nani hargreaves berbatov. tracking back and hard work has no meaning for me why I have problems with how berbatov is performing for united and here are the main factors why.
A he does not seem heavily involved in our attacking play or influencing games and his name is getting called less and less in matches even more than carrick.
B his position in the team? what is his position? and why is rooney and berbatov not clicking?
C berbatovs lack of movement and his ability to stretch defences and become an outlet for the team, he did it for spurs in terms of stretching defences
D his goals return, I expect berbatovs goals return on the levels of rooney but it seems his goals return is like our midfielders.
E he drops way to deep, and he does not have the energy to go from box to box and tacticaly he is not very flexible
now this is not me slating berbatov, like some seem to think I am one of the berba haters group. This is a very well structured view why I am still asking questions of his ability to perform for united. But if I get it wrong with berbatov I will eat humble pie and say hey berbatov is performing, he has got over 5 months to show his worth who knows.
@ costas the million doller question is quiet simple? is it berbatov and the reason why he is not performing even when he is fully fit? or like he has done with veron forlan poborski who were all quality players not used them to their strengths?
- but has fergie not fully used berbatov to his advantage like anderson who when you see anderson on youtube it is ike watching goergie best and charlton in their pomp? it seems to me fergie uses a 424 system that needs the tools of power play dynamic forwards like your rooneys ronaldos sahas, where it is direct fast in your face and great on the counter not ball to feet.
- fergie has never really known how to use the classic playmaker, only beckham scholes rooney and giggs he has got the best out of who they are your classic playmakers. because fergies style is quick dynamic football the 1994 side was a perfect example of that style fergie loves.
- this is not slating fergie but an interesting topic on how fergie never uses the classy style playmaker to his advantage
@rooney the new king:
I agree that they are valid questions. And I have the same ones myself. I have been looking into some youtube videos for Berbatov pre United, but there’s not a lot you can tell from highlights. There is one clear point though. His goals are not Ronaldo like. He won’t get the ball and run at defenders. He has scored plenty inside the box by collecting the ball and making things happen for himself. That’s something that isn’t happening a lot at United. Instead of staying up front and waiting for the attack to come to him, he goes back all the way to the half way line. That’s how his slower pace is exposed though.
Anyway, I don’t want to censor anyone. I just want us fans to enjoy ourselves a bit now that things seem to be getting better. And who knows with Berbatov? Teddy Sheringham had 3 mediocre years at United before he had that incredible final season. The difference though is that he didn’t cost 30 million and that Fergie could always afford to use other strikers ahead of him. Maybe if Berbatov felt that his place in the first XI was under threat, he would have a bigger motivation to do well.
And I agree that Fergie has never been too fond of the playmaker types. I don’t fault him for that. When these types of players were in their glory days, they were a bit slow and that’s not how Fergie likes to play. That’s why i was surprised he went for Veron. With Berbatov, I don’t know if it’s about using him as a playmaker or just using him as a way to keep the ball and control the tempo. The truth is that when Scholes doesn’t play, we don’t have another midfielder who can do that.
Berbatov’s main problem is his confidence. Someone needs to tell him that he plays for Manchester Utd. He needs to know that he is quality, he needs to appreciate his talent and show it to Utd fans. His body language says he feels awkward. I remember when he was at spurs, he used to shoot powerfully at goal and he used to have about 10 shots in one game. At Utd, he is not doing that because he seems to lack courage. He tries to assist rather than shoot as we all know. I think the only formation Berbatov could blossom in would be a 4-3-2-1, with Rooney playing with Berbatov ahead of Midfield, and Owen upfront. This way both strikers could drop deep as much as they like but effectively. Sadly, Owen can’t play every game. I wish we had a younger version of Owen who can play week in week out. Although I don’t think we need a striker, if Fergie does go for one in Jan, I hope the forward is of reasonable age, price and is a good finisher. Or he should give Macheda more starts, who I rate higher than Welbeck. I heard Kiko is injured, is that true?
I agree with Costas in that we need to focus on the positives and not on Berbas contribution or lack of. Also please remember that Giggs, Vidic and Wes have come back from injuries. They won’t be 100% so we need to go easy on then. What is becoming apparent is that this season is very open any team in the top 7 could go on a run of wins and win the title. but realistically it’s between us, Chelsea and arsenal. I think once our players who have been injured get a few more games under their belt you will see the level of the teams performance improve. dispite everything United are in an excellent position to go on and win the title. With rafael or delaet at rb we’ll be in a better position along with wes, evra and vidic. The PIG is playing well and that’s another positive thing to come out.what SAF has to decide on is who plays along side of fletcher in the middle of midfield and the combination of our attack is who plays with Rooney. the spin of the team is good. PIG, vidic, fletcherinho, Rooney. SAF along with the back staff will need to decide on a formation and personell to be built around this spine.
off topic:
can anyone give me the link to the Benitez vs. Ferguson spending that was on the site a while ago. I have been looking everywhere for it, but I cant seem to find it.
Thank you.
superhans
Here you go.
This is from last seasosn and does not include the summer transfers.Even if we take summer transfers into account we made a lot of profit compared to Liverpool
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/liverpool-have-spent-more-during-the-premiership-years-fact/
Alan YSB Hansen says United are his favourites for the title
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6896642/Alan-Hansen-Manchester-Uniteds-character-makes-them-my-favourites-to-win-title.html?
Off Topic: Rio saves teenagerfrom life of crime
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/posts/view/114368/Rio-Ferdinand-saves-teenager-from-life-of-crime/
@ Superhans – here you go
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/rafa-is-right-about-the-money-wrong-about-the-fans/
there are tags. pretty useful.
I believe Berba will come good. I don’t have any proves but he is our player, he has skill and we should support the player. I know why some of us are annoyed with him but at least he respects the club and behaves in a proper way. He is not an ordinary player and there are one’s who disapprove of him and others love him just because of that. It is just one of this cases.
Every single game i hope he will score a hat-trick and prove all the haters wrong. But i don’t understand how you can single him out after the Hull game.
Drogba and Kalou can play against Fulham. Lucky rentboys.
When we were first linked to Berba my first thoughts were “I like the player, but I just don’t see him as a United player” As it turns out my first thoughts have born fruition. I have nothing against the bloke, and when he plays for Bulgaria he generally scores goals. But at United, our system and a passion for playing fast attacking football just doesn’t suit. I hope the majority of us are wrong and it does “click” for him, but after this length of time I just can’t see it happening, as much as I’d love it to I just can’t! Off topic….anyone heard the rumour that Ben Arfa will be arriving in January, apparently second choice behind Angel Di Maria???
mikekelly12
my thoughts were exactly the opposite to yours. I thought the guy is perfect for United. We had 2 strikers in Rooney and tevez who both dropped deep and were not tall and did not have great heading ability. I always thought that despite his languid style and lack of pace if Berba played with a mobile striker like Rooney he would click just as he did with Keane at Spurs.Unfortunately the critics started even before he started his United career stating he dosent ‘work hard and is lazy’. It forced Berba to start dropping more and more deeper than he used to at Spurs.As we have seen due to his lack of pace he then dosent get back in the box when crosses are delivered. Had people not mentioned this rubbish about hard work when you are at United Berba would have done better. Also Rooney ahs to sacrifice his all action attitude and stay close to the area as he did after his error yesterday when we saw him at his best. Only then will the partnership click. If rooney himself drops deep when Berba gest the ball in good areas who will he pass it to?
Ben Arfa is a good player but has had temper tantrums falling out with the manager and hasnt exactly done all that well at Marseille given how much he was hyped when at Lyon.However SAF is good at managing such players so there should not be any problems
Hello.
Off topic – Meant to put this the other day but WHAT THE FUCK is with that horrible little dance that Tevez does when he scores?
@ King Eric, I am just glad he chose to do it at shitty and not when playing for us. Embarrassing really.
tom cleverley has scored for watford again
Drew Vader: “Denton — I watched the Pool game yesterday dude and I honestly think they would have tied 0-0 had the Hull player not been sent off. Up to that point they kinda looked like us, loads of possession but fucking up the final pass again and again.”
Little things can yield big changes – you know, like the chaos theory that the Chinese butterfly flapping its wings creates turbulence that leads to snow in July. Anyhow, their confidence was very poor and perhaps – I sincerely hope not ! – that could mark a change in their fortunes.
By the way, I watched the RentBoyz flap away at Foooolham for seventy-plus minutes and then snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A real piss-off but, I think, a serious blow to their already-fragile sense of invincibility. Now they face six weeks without Drogba and Essien and maybe even Anelka. Could it be deja vue all over again – just like last year ? A good chance of that, methinks.
rooney the new king @ 2:25: “now this is not me slating berbatov, like some seem to think I am one of the berba haters group. This is a very well structured view why I am still asking questions of his ability to perform for united. But if I get it wrong with berbatov I will eat humble pie and say hey berbatov is performing, he has got over 5 months to show his worth who knows.”
I totally agree with your five points but I would be reluctant to give the guy five more months “to prove me wrong”; he’s had sixteen months to deal with those five points and there is fuck-all to suggest that he is going to come to grips with them.
In a sense, Berbatov is lucky because the options at SAF’s disposal are not good – he won’t bring in a new, foreign striker; his EPL-based options aren’t very enticing; LittleMikey is an injury-waiting-to-happen, based on the last five years of his career; KikoTheKid is injured; Danny Welbeck has hardly been given a chance as the #9; and a change in formation of the sort I conjectured seems unlikely. So, Dimmy will no doubt get his five-more-months to prove us wrong – he wouldn’t give a shit if we eat humble pie and neither would we because if he comes good then UTD will win the glorious 19th and the CL.
@King Eric & Fze123
Yeah right. If a certain Bulgarian player did the same celebration, the Berbacocksuckers would be wanking themselves silly. Of course, goal celebrations generally follow goals, so we needn’t worry about Berbie dancing with delight any time soon.
Fred – Not at all. Just hate the fat little cunt when he does that jig . Are you Berba’s ex lover or summat? Every post you put includes him. You seem very bitter toward him.
King Eric – it’s nothing like that, mate. I don’t mean to be so harsh on Berbatov, I just wanna see the team do well.
Rooney has to be the new king, what he is doing at united is amazing. But to look at him with no disrepect to the guy, he does not look like a footballer but he sure is. I think in years to come he will be known as a true legend