Manchester United are top of the table after their win over West Brom and Manchester City’s defeat to Swansea. With just ten games to go, United are now in the driving seat.
Sir Alex Ferguson claimed he wasn’t expecting us to go top today but is pleased with the team for turning things around.
“It’s a surprising day for us I suppose,” he said. “I’m happy to be there because only a few weeks ago we were five points, and at one time seven points, behind and now we’re a point ahead. So we’ve turned around eight points and it’s a credit to the players and also to the resilience of our squad because, as everyone knows, we’ve had a lot of injuries. I don’t care about being top of the league just now. More important was our own performance. We needed that performance after the disappointment of Thursday. But the players played fantastic football today and I was really, really pleased with that part.”
Man Utd News 24/7
Stockport will be a sad place tonight!! Bertie’s crying everywhere……,, roll on #20!!
email if interested in writing for a sports website
waqar_91@hotmail.com
By the end of the season he will get used to surprises of this kind as I anticipate few more yet!
I strongly believe that our match at Wastelands will be a meaningless one as everything will be over by then!
City have Chelsea at home and Stoke away next week. If we keep our feet on the ground, the gap could open uo even more.
The bitters must be wondering how after all our injuries, we managed to surpass them.
Why would the boss be surprised City lost at the Liberty stadium , United are the only team to have won there this season. Mind – games by Sir Alex I suspect.
I would happily wave good bye to the Europa League to ensure we get # 20 !!
If I were to have icing on the cake it would be to beat Citeh at wastelands on the 20th en route to number 20.
We need to win all our games, i’m sure man shitty will drop points again as well. If we win the title this season it will be a sweet sweet feeling. take ur 6-1 and leave our trophy alone.
6th!!!!!!!!!!
City have a really tough run the next 4 weeks
Messi scores his 20000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 goal
Ashley Young was reminding me of a certain G Strachan today. Every time he got in the box I could feel him drawing the foul.
I thought he played great today and its so welcome at this point in the season.
Cmon you reds.
@ Cadelin here here mate. In truth United have played Spanish opposition 19 times in Spain , won only twice. Bilbao are on later tonight on the box in La Liga, we will get another look to see how good they are, or not.
Maybe we just had a bad day mid-week.
We need to focus now! Next two weeks most crucial. We win at wolves and the game after that and hope city lose one and draw the other! Good times.
How good was ashley young today! Finally he’s started to look like the star we bought.
Onwards and upwards! UNITED
Wouldn’t think he was surprised at some kind of points loss today or in Cities next two games.Was always a reasonable chance of it happening.
Relentless.
Haha that fat cunt Mickey Quinn was saying on Talksport yesterday how Albion were gonna beat us today he was practically shouting it ..Fucking fat no mark racistpool lover . Worry about your own shit teams results you ignorant shit lipped scumbag bastard !!!
@ Singh7. Say what you mean there fella. Don’t be coy.lol.
UTD, UTD top of the league
Sell Berba, Sack Fergie
What’s the difference between mario balotelli and the strippers he went to see last week?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Strippers are still going to be on top of the table tonight
Pogba comes on v Stoke, city lose to everton. Pogba comes on v WBA, city lose to Swansea.
now i know why we aint letting the lad go, if at all he wants to go
@Sandeep the similarity is both are highly paid tossers, that look like expensive fannies.
Singh7 says:
Haha that fat cunt Mickey Quinn was saying on Talksport yesterday how Albion were gonna beat us today he was practically shouting it ..Fucking fat no mark racistpool lover . Worry about your own shit teams results you ignorant shit lipped scumbag bastard !!!
Towards the end of last season a UTD fan rang in and told Quinn, if UTD had lost as many games as he’s predicted we would’ve been relegated, he replied by saying he was just a fan, the bloke didn’t let him off the hook and replied, “yes, but you’re also a paid professional pundit”.
A blog written by my daughter, she’s 17 and is in the Stretty with me.
http://mufc-unitednews.blogspot.com/
City back 2 d place dey deserved…behind Manutd…4ever in our shadows…
Did city lose?
I thought the city fan crying was because Balotelli had never heard of their club, before he signed? 
I so hope it’s true that Balotelli and Ya Ya Toure had a bust up at half – time, its more or less what I predicted a while back .That City camp is so disfunctional. It tells you every thing bringing back ‘kettle neck ‘ to the fold, after calling dissing everyone at City , Mancini included.
You could just never picture this in- fighting at United.
I hope for all there wild predictions of the ‘ Premiership ‘ title in the bag, the whole thing goes bang.
1 /2 a Billion spent on assembling a squad still in Uniteds shadow.
A mere irritation, United having seen off Liverpool, Arsenal and latterly Chelsea.
Dream on Etihad oil money.
RedScot,
well said buddy
Toodle pip lads, glad to see Willie and Costas are keeping the blog alive.
It was the way he was saying it , I mean he sounded as if he was getting off on it.. lol Fat Wanker… Paid profesional.???? More like Paid professional Cunt .
Costas calls it right – feet on the ground, and things could look up for us. People might look at today’s results and see it as a turning point…..and it may well be. But the foundations were laid in the last 6 or 7 weeks IMO….when we had that ridiculously tough run of games, and managed to get 16/18 points (gaining a point on City, who dropped 3 points in that same period).
That’s what’s helped us get to this position….coz if we hadn’t pulled off those results, we could’ve started today a good 5 or 6 points behind. Welbeck vs Arsenal, Rooney vs Liverpool, Rooney and Hernandez vs Chelsea, Giggsy vs Norwich, Young vs Spurs…..crucial matchwinning goals that have laid the foundation.
Can’t fuck around now and have any repeats of Blackburn….need to get maximum points from the next 6 games. City have got a tough set of games coming up, let’s pile the pressure on. I’ve been saying it since their game against QPR back in October…….without Kompany, they seriously struggle, Savic looked like a liability in that game. When Kompany got suspended in January, the same thing happened again, City struggled. And again today…..hopefully he misses their match against Chelsea next week, and hopefully we’re 4 points in front by then.
i love this time of year, everything SAF says is analyised for mindgames. Its got to the point where he has the ability to fuck people up by just macking normal comments…..
Re the suprise comment today, is he saying shitty sould have won… or just being honest?, thats the best bit, we can only guess. While he sits back, has a red wine and waits for the media to go crazy or the rival managers to go crazy….and thats a FACT!
Willie,
what up pal..:)
have you hit the peg number 6?
Evening all
Loving being back on top! Keep our bottle and 20 is in the bag. Thought OT was lively today and when news of the goal at Swansea came through the place erupted! Had some wankers booing Pogba when he came on, fucking losers!!
Well done Matt
May the force be with Jnr
Swansea have to be applauded – they are playing possession football closer to Barcelona!
And of course thank you to Massey for doing her job!
Smash it and tuck it ain’t going to be happy
Come on United thrash those bloody Wolves and do me proud!
Get one over Dad and fellow Wolves fans!
The REDS as they say are coming
SAF has waited waited and waited for the mind games to begin.
Yep Tevez will really be the Ace in the pack if everyone believes that good luck to them – and couple Hargreaves into that equation and let’s go
As long as everyone comes back for one last push we are on
19
Are we top?
Don’t see the suprise myself. seem to crack whenever kompanys out,& swansea are good side, specially at home.
Wouldn’t wanna doing mancinis laundry with chelsea & a tripto emiratescoming up.
Sod bilbao game, getting city in the worth ten crappy europa cups.
James
Top, we’re fuckin brilliant. Did you see Fannyboy, I didn’t see him in gorse!!
We lose young, valencia hits top form.. We lose valencia, young hits good form.. That’s what champions are made of! Similar case with Evans slotting in for Vidic.. And carrick carrying on where cleverly left off in the initial stages of the season..
Stand up! For the champions, for the champions stand up!
This is a great opportunity. Not only city will be playing some tough games in the next 5, we arguable have a much easier run. We play 4 out of bottom 5 in the next 5 games plus Fulham at home and you know what, all those games are winnable. Concentration will be important though, the next five games can really decide it all. SAF needs to make sure that the guys know that, also our finishing should improve. Rooney did his part, but how many chances Chicha and especially Welbeck need to score. Wasted opportunities can really cost us in the future.. Overall a great day and at last we are at the top.
As mike said earlier when news of swansea winning came through OT erupted, it was fucking immense
Sandeep – Hello matey! Love to find out how many goals city have scored in their last 6 away games? It seems to me, the goals have dried up away from the wastelands?
Forgot one thing. I though Evans had a outstanding game. His composure on the ball and bringing it to the midfield has been really outstanding. I never rated him that high but man he has been doing an amazing job. I just hope it is his true potential and not just one season wander.
Willie / Sanders
They have scored 6 in the last 8 some Bertie was banging on about it on BBC manc.
Orez
Your not wrong mate Evans has been fucking class for a while now. Arguably our best defender at the moment.
@Willie
Here’s an interesting stat
Manchester City have won only two of their last eight Premier League away games. Wobble. — Opta Sports (@OptaJoe)
Sparkz @ 18:39 – good point about the importance of Vincent Kompany. AND they play against Drogba next. Stoke after that – away, too.
Did I see fannyboy? Did I fuck.
Mattbw7
Your daughters blog is a good read mate, her Bilbao thoughts perfectly summed up what I said on here. Tell her to change the one pic over and over though it’s not good on the eye and will put of readers. Tell her top blogging though mate.
@redscot: Indeed the mindgames are underway. A cheeky little jibe from Fergie. Norwich have also won at the Liberty Stadium this season but none the less I did fancy Swansea to get a result today but I was thinking a draw.
James
Where did you end up fella? Anyone spoke to king Eric?
Evans was quality again today as was Dave when called upon. City have shown how much they rely on individuals. Toure out = shit. Kompany out = shit! There us not a cat in hells chance they’d have coped with our injuries!
Among all the excitement, we must not forget 2 key factors in United’s return to the top of the table: Jonny Evans’ defending and Tevez’s return. City are already turning into a circus.
Cheers you Argie twat.
Cheers lads. City are feeling the pressure now, but they probably don’t even realise it! Squeaky backside time!
WRN
Oh mate they know it alright, I have been pissing myself at the radio phone ins. One lad said we don’t seem to have a swagger like we did with Alison in 68. I fell off my chair these deluded berties.
” were gonna win the football league again at the council house at their council house at their council house, were gonna win the football league this time at the council house……”
The thing with United and Sir Alex is that they have been in this position countless times before, it’s nothing new. Now with city and their squad how many have been there at the death when it really matters? A few no doubt but i don’t think enough have. I could be wrong and no doubt I’ll be told.
You can have talented players who will go a long way to winning things but i think it’s crucial to have a manager who can handle all the pressure going and to handle all the ego’s of the players tactics etc., that Sir Alex does with consummate ease! I still think it will be close but I’d bet United to win it. And after your run of pretty bad injuries, i shouldn’t be surprised you’re in this position that you are but i am!!
This is what sir alex said about pogba, he had a few comments about the players in general…
http://m.goal.com/x/en-gb/news/2960826
Btw really glad pogba played, liked his performance too!
fantastic victory, one thing shitty cannot handle is taking the game to sides especially away from home, they like to have it easy and stroll a 2 or 3 0 victory they do not have to put that extra in to win those extra games, so when it gets very prickly they fold like a pack of cards. What shitty are also paying, is paying the price for continue to be playing the mole of the squad and the weak link bolletelli, he scores 2 goals against united and that means he plays 60% of their games, when it was aguero and dzeko they were a real threat going forward. If united win the title, shitty can thank bolletelli’s pethetic behaviour in their games which as cost them some points, and destroyed their fluency. There is the saying you are all as strong has your weakest link
Overall a great day for united
Do you really think SAF is surprised that City lost today? Nope. I don’t think so. Swansea are a very tough side to beat at home and so far they have lost only twice at home which says a lot about their home record. Besides, City without Kompany look really vulnerable at the back. For all the money that they have got, they could have got a much better defender than that Savic guy. Anyways, I am not complaining. Neither am I celebrating because we still got a long way to go. Let’s take it one game at a time fellas.
Hello willie and Giggs 12,
these are last 7 league game stats for shitty,
scored : 4
conceded: 4
LWLWLDL..
so the council house has got 7 points out of their last 21 away points in the league..
######
another interesting fact is that City have lost last 4 away games in all competitions out of six..
4 defeats – 1 win – 1 draw
####
Last time they scored more than one goal in away games was at QPR in November..
that 8 away games ago
####
so as you can see, on the road they have been shit, unlike us and very much like us in the last season..
Truth be told, title 20 is heading to the place where it always belongs..
agreed we have been shit poor in Europe, but in league and off late, we are THE best team amongst the top 6..
Lets not go overboard, one game at a time and one step closer to the title at a time.
###
sorry for the late reply – was busy with RED rum..
Costas – I have said this allot, this is the worst united title challenger to the united crown ever, you add the cash players signed, and they are so feble and a mental car crash and inability to handle the pressure what did anyone expect. My mate said months ago, he has this gut feeling united will win the league again
Honeycomb ice cream + Strawberry’s, while watching Motd2! United win, city lose! Just about perfect!
Correction, they have concede 4 and scored 3
in last 7 away games
WillieRedNut – I have not watched MOTD in a while, so this will be a good one to watch.
Giggs12,
Looks like the King Eric is busy…
i sent him texts during the game but he dont reply, thats very unusual of him..
Lets hope he is all right..
may be too many beers to top the table
Sandeep – As i suspected mate? They still bang in the goals at home, but away, they’re struggling to replicate that scoring form. If you look at the games at Sunderland, Everton and Swansea today, they lose without scoring! For a club with such attacking talent at their disposal, that’s a poor effort.
FITB,
enjoy it pal
almost 3 AM here folks, off to bed now before bloody office in 4 hours.
Good night fellas and Good night ROM..
Sell Berba, Sack fergie
United, United top of the league
Good professional win but despite going top of the league, it’s not over yet.
Must not take foot off pedal now, drive home the advantage and continue to apply pressure on city. We must respect every opponent and play every premier league like it’s a cup final.
WillieRedNut – if we look at shitty’s starting 11
Hart,
Richards, Savic, Toure, Clichy,
Barry, De Jong, Toure
Nasri,silva
Balotelli
he did not start with aguero or dzeko, so lets get this right they played 3 DM, no creativity toothless upfront, when you have that clown leading the line. There is one thing saying many were surprised by the scoreline, when we see their lineup it set the trend on where the game could have ended up.
United maybe very inconsistant, but they always have plenty in attack, and allot of balance in their 442 approach even though the engine room will always be my worry
Willie,
I just have a feeling that the visiting teams are giving too much of respect for city..
they can tame them at shittihaad but they wont try..
i seem to recall a certain Mick episode for fielding the weaker side against us a year or two ago where he was punished with fine..
may be managers are throwing the game off against city away even before the game is started..
well as you know, in home games, the weaker teams are not afraid of city anymore and thats the right way to go..
plus the costliest and most skilled, world class, the all time best, the rocket counter attacking, the best poachers, the best of the Europe and the highly successful City attack is hitting the abyss in away games…
thats more like the city we all know..
by the way enough
we have all enough to talk about greatest club that prides in itself and its fans all over the world and noisy neighbors can fuck off..
with that note and smile i m off willie..
good ngiht..will follow up first thing tomorrow morning..cheers
United – top of the league – Sir Alex – top of the sack list (yeah our very own ROMers were asking his head 2 days ago).
Peace
They didn’t even search me. I got there and they said we’ve cancelld it because its holding the crowds up.
Come on Reds in the driving seat now. Bring it home. UTD UTD UTD.
Pogba’s turn around has certainly Suprised me because in my mind, i had already casted him to the history books. Surely Fergie won’t put him anywhere the first team or even the bench let alone get minutes on the pitch if he wasn’t close to signing a new deal, i think pogba has thought about it well and now knows where he can fulfill that potential.
sandeep
King Eric has no phone atm. Saw him today in Sam Platts, all 5ft 2 of him along with Carl ,FanBoy, fakesmartalex, sachu Or whatever his name is.
FITB – I was surprised he left Aguero out? He then brings him on for Barry on 36 minutes, as a testament to that mistake. Maybe not quite a Keegan moment, but it isn’t good for city, that he’s unsure of himself and the team. Maybe too, they took Swansea for granted. Paid the price in the end!
@Sandeep
Night pal!
It’s now all about bottle and who has it? I know whom i would put my money on!!
Mattbw7
Your girl is bob on
Most of the home fans aren’t supporters, they don’t support that includes alot of the stret, just come to see a win. We’re good enough to beat everyone but we don’t have the right too. Anyway great win today,
United top of the league,
I’ll drink a drink a drink
Let’s show are support for the rest of the campaign and forever more, we’ll never die
WillieRedNut – I aint jumping on shity bandwagon, but they were at their very best when aguero and dzeko lead the line, when ever that idiot plays they seem to be playing with 10 men allot of the time, and yes they beat us with with that ass clown that day, but maybe that defeat for united has put shitty into this mentality he is good enough for them, and much like asprilia he maybe a big part of shitty’s fluency lost
This idiot sings throughout in East Tier 2. Voice is now worse than Steven Hawkings’
@FITB
Hi mate. I don’t know what to make of City as title challengers. In terms of collected points, they’ve done very well. I don’t think they’ve seen 66 points at this stage of the season ever since they got promoted. But as talented as their side is, they still seem like pretenders. You can tell from their comments in the media that they are in uncharted territory. And they seem to lack the spirit to fight back if they fall behind. We saw it at Everton and we saw it again tonight. That being said, we shouldn’t underestimate them.
@mattbw7
Thanks for the link. And kudos to your daughter for calling a spade a spade. This has been one of my biggest disappointments this season. I can’t recall one game where the atmposphere at OT (from the telly anyway) was buzzing. By our fans I mean. I realize that things don’t always go our way (and this season in particular has been a disappointing one in terms of home results), but the players and the fans have to help each other out in those circumstances. I mean, leaving the ground 5 minutes before the end when we are 2-1 down? What the hell? And I feel even worse for fans like your daughter who try to get the crowd going, but in vain.
Costas – I am not underestimating shitty because of the way united have been playing at times this season, its been a grim feeling knowing we are back to square one in how inept we are in europe, after we drummed that tactical approach we were the best in how to do it in Europe. It is still a long long way to go, but what I see is a shitty manager become so blind with a few players they have
Hahaha!!! Off topic, Suarez told Canal + that he is open to move to PSG and would love to play with Lugano (Urugay capt) who plays there. I think this maybe another Welcome to Manchester moment for us, I will laugh all the way to the next liverpool match…he clearly does not give a toss about even showing a veneer of loyalty, now where r those t-shirts. Mugs.
@FITB
Well, Mancini and the powers that be felt Nasri was a better option than buying a better defender than Savic. And they’ve regretted it in recent months. I agree though. I said it myself recently. United haven’t had a problem tackling the big games. It’s games against weaker sides that have caused us one or two issues. I wouldn’t worry about Europe that much though. Just look at how quickly we won the Ch.League again after the early exit in 06. It’s too late for the Europa League, but one has to believe that things will be different in Europe next year.
United 8/13 City 5/4…. Bookies think the title is coming home!
Costas – if things are to be different in Europe they must freshen up the midfield, it as gone to long without that area strengthened. It cannot go another season with the current midfield, we have played on very dangerous waters sticking to the midfield we may just just get away with it this season. If we win the title which is still 50/50, they have got to bring is fresher legs so we do not pay the price next season. Because fergie is going to keep to the 442, he has been hell-bent sticking to rooney and welbeck upfront which is a good thing, so I do expect a midfielder to add depth to the squad. Because can anyone expect shitty to play bolleteli next season? its a doubt, if they stick with that idiot the title could be ours
Did anyone see the City fan CRYING just after Swansea scored on MOTD?!?! with 10mins to go… Classic idiot.
Back where we belong.
Go on Suarez……..fuck off to PSG ya racist cunt!
Park life
Mate look on the other threads Scott has posted the silly cunt crying
Ah well writing this with hands shaking whole bloody body burning – got a temp from an ear ache have had in the whole past week
I have to say watching United in this state is even more emotionally challenging than watching them in full flow
19 – 19 is what is carrying this team this year – it’s nothing else – every year when we change we always struggle but I guess if one lives on hindsight then 20 will do
FITB is correct though we could go so much further if we had further components to rip teams apart
It must be a priority this summer no question and if Pogba stays brilliant if not brilliant
One thing is for sure United will never die
Never Die 58
19
Got to go, can’t think can’t type quick enough…
I stayed in a hotel last night that showed the match live, and it was great to watch the lads. The ball’s in our court now. Just take it game by game, one step at a time. This is where Fergie’s nous and experience, and the experience of the old stagers, is going to be critical. That, I believe, gives us the edge in the run-in. I am sure Shitty will slip up again. There’s every chance of us opening up a gap of more than three points before April 30. And then, on that day, it will be a case of piling another three points on top to compound their misery. Go United!
Just because Suarez is a racist does not mean he has to stay at a shit club . May he fuck off soon .
Still buzzing from the win today…
Not sure why some are riling on the cyring fan..it only means he is passionate about his club as we all are about ours. It should be appreciated..thats what makes this sport what it is
Steve Bruce-Wayne called United “Man U” on MOTD2.
Time to send in the battle drones to Bruce Manor.
Haha Sandeep, your joke about Ballotelli was a good one!
It was before the lastest batch of games that I was pointing out how promising the fixture list is and at the first juncture on the run in city have dropped points. Overall at bluemoon it seems that many are admitting that city don’t really have what it takes to win this league now considering the fixtures. Those who still see a light point out that Blackburn beat us at home but it is ironically the surprising nature of that result which means it is mentioned time and time again.
If we are to merit the title and then please God we will prove worthy – then the key difference will be that Blackburn esque slip ups wont occur in what is now the business end of the season. Time to get serious.
FWIW I’ve never really found this city side to be outstanding and I was worried that given our injuries we would not be equipped to put them in their place. However we’ve delivered consistent results and I go into the next 7 fixtures expecting 21 points no less. Some might say that is easier said than done but the players will know that if we achieve that our lead prior to the city game could be 4-7 points.
If City manage to beat Chelsea Arsenal Stoke Sunderland and Newcastle – some of which are tough away matches then I’ll eat my hat. They are bound to drop multiple points.
I wud luv if some one get a interview from the city lad we signed recently….well i guess he saw tis was coming
Morning reds,
Have a lovely day..
Let me know if any of you have got links to highlights of the game..
http://www.football365.com/faves/7587603/16-Concs
a really good read everyone!!
check it out.
GREAT GAME YESTERDAY!!!!
By the way, look at this funny video..
Rene and Phelan drop the sub board on Sir Alex’s foot
and look at that sheepish face from Rene, he dint want to make eye contact
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oqr-CfbPcJI
Brett @ 1:45
I agree – IF Shitty can win those four matches ( three away from their comfort zone ) then the match on April 28th will be a real title-decider.
However, IF Shitty get, say, six points from those four matches then the April 28th match might just be the moment when #20 is signed, sealed, AND delivered.
AND, even though SAF is Scottish – not Irish – he sure can deliver “the Blarney”. It’s not just about his so-called “mind games” but also the way he plays with the press, who hang on the great man’s every word. He must thoroughly enjoy sending-them-up with his sly digs, innuendoes, and “fibs”.
It’s not a matter of being “economical with the truth” so much as mis-information and mis-direction. His post-match comment about Shitty’s away-loss to Swansea being “surprising” – take a look at Shitty’s away form AND Swansea’s home form ! Shitty can score away-goals; Swansea have only lost once in Wales – guess who won that match ?
Everytime Shitty lose, Mancini said he underestimated the opponents.
Next up, Chelski. Time for a certain Mr Torres to start his scoring spree.
Good morning, ROM! Well, since Scott is being economical with his Reactions post, I thought I would try and offer my version. Not likely to be as good, but still feel like sharing. So, here goes:
1. After seeing through a large part of the season, where City was seemingly running away with the title, while we were careening through an unmitigated injury crisis and fluctuating form, all credit must go to the players and the management for being within a very good shout of the title at this stage. With the upcoming fixture list seemingly loaded in our favour, it’s easy to get carried away, but from now on every game is like a cup final, and we should treat it like that. No easy games, but hopefully a couple of months from now, we will be able to say this was the day the momentum swung back in our favour.
2. On to individual performances. First, the positives. Rio-Evans pairing was solid as usual, Carrick had a classy game. While Scholes was a bit hot and cold, it was probably one of those days when his bottom level was so high, it was difficult to understand whether he had an off day or not. However, standout praise must be reserved for DannyW and Young. Some of their build-up play was reminiscent of our early season form. Even more encouraging was the increasingly recurring feeling that Hernandez seems to be adding more to his game. That cross for Young was an absolute peach, and he seems to be doing better at holding up/laying off.
3. Now, the not-so-positives. Wayne Rooney, despite scoring two goals, looked a few shades off his best. However, if he keeps banging them in, I’m not sure I can complain. Phil Jones did a job at RB, but it’s increasingly becoming difficult to figure out who’s better, or worse at that position – him or Smalling. Evra had his usual brain fart moment, and frankly, I thought we were bloody lucky at that stage, not to concede the penalty. While our build-up play was often exceptional, the final ball, or the finishing often left much to be desired. I do hope Fergie kicks it into the youngsters that when you have a numerical advantage against a vastly inferior opposition, it should be second nature to put them to the sword, and not be wasteful.
4. Passing of the baton: How brilliant was it to see Pogba substituting Scholes? Him and Cleverly didn’t seem to do too badly either. Despite all the recent drama, I hope Pogba stays, just like I’d wish all our youth to have long and successful careers at United.
5. Looking ahead to the week. Don’t get me wrong, I am as delighted as the next fan, after yesterday. But frankly, I am not sure if I saw anything that made me feel optimistic about our upcoming clash with Bilbao. Evra continues to tuck in and leave his flank exposed (so systematically, that I am beginning to believe that he has been advised by the coaching team to do so, for some weird reason), and possession continues to get squandered in midfield. Given WBA’s recent form, and the evident gulf in class between them and say, Bilbao or Ajax, you’ve got to wonder if overall EPL standards are slipping. I would be extremely surprised if we managed to turn the Europa League tie on its head, particularly if we continue with our adherence for a 4-4-2 system. The fact of the matter is, we don’t have a single midfield pairing that can dominate decent 3-men European midfield formations systematically. No shame in that, because I can’t think of too many teams that do. Our players are probably as good or as bad as the next title challenging team’s, but I sincerely believe that to succeed in Europe, we have to deploy them to a different tactical framework.
Amen to that, but let not my circumspect negativity take anything away from a bloody brilliant weekend, which was made possible by the belief and never say die attitude that lies at the core of United. Long may it last.
This is what mancini had in mind:
http://m.goal.com/x/en-gb/news/2959918
Haha, he said he wanted 99 points by the end of the season!
Jeet
I agree with all of what you said, but I do have a couple points to add…
First I thought scholes wasn’t bad at all, he did really good! And I have a little question, is jones amidfielder or a defender? I find him good in both positions but id rather see him in defense
What you said about evra was true and I felt that he didn’t really have much influence on the game either!
Now the fact that pogba playedmade me really happy, especially that he did a good job and I see he’s very energetic and likes to move around which is good.
I hope cleverley starts against bilbao with carrick scholes and nani (if fit)
I am a bit worried abou thursday’s game but I have a feeling united can do it!
@Lebomanc: See, that’s the thing about Scholes! As Smeichael said, its very difficult to make out when he has a bad day, because his “bottom-level” is so high. Almost the exact opposite of say, Nani – who’s top level is off the charts, but when he sucks, he sucks with a vengeance. If you read my post, you’ll see I wasn’t sure whether he was good, or just a bit below par myself!
Regarding Jones, IMO, he’s best as a midfield destroyer. Would have been a great centerback too, but for his lack of height, which is crucial in the Prem. But, and this is what brings me back to being a broken record, I doubt if Jones can currently function effectively in a 2-man midfield at the highest level. Use him beside Carrick and Cleverly/Giggs in a 3 man midfield, and I have a feeling he will do very well.
Actually, I think we have a decent set of players to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, and be succesful in Europe. Carrick and Scholes are the deep lying playmakers, one of the “2″ in that formation. Jones and Ando are the guys for the other part of the 2. Energy, running, tackling. The middle part of the “3″ can be very effectively serviced by either Giggsy or Cleverly. The advanced playmaker who does the quick one-twos, exchanges positions with the wingers and feeds the striker. In fact, I have a feeling that Rooney could play that role exceptionally well, but then he would need Berba or Welbeck as the frontman, clearly not Hernandez as of now.
If, we go to play Bilbao with a team like this, I have reasonable cause for optimism:
DDG
Rafael Smalling/Rio Evans Evra/Fabio
Carrick Ando/Jones
Nani/TonyV Giggs/Cleverly Young
Rooney
But if we try to play 4-4-2, and sorry being all negative on a Monday morning following a great result, I don’t see much hope for us.
Jeet
Ya I agree about scholes… the 4-2-3-1 formation you talked about doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, but I would put cleverley with ando instead of ando and jones. I mean we have some of the best midfielders in the league but they’re always injured! Btw is valencia fit? And I heard owen has been training, where is he??
And a good formation for the bilbao game, but I thnk that if berba didn’t feature in the coming game( which he won’t) he will in the game after… he needs to play!
And actually am starting to think its a bit disappointing too!
@jeet i like that formation cause personally i think jones should be playing in midfield since he loses concentration a lot in defense..bilbao’s first goal was him losing llorente or whatever his name is..this has been happening quite a bit this season but the media won’t report it since they love jones..now dont get me wrong i like jones a lot too but his mistakes in defense is costing us..he should stick to midfield for now where we can best utilize his energy
On the radio ( manchester ) Paul Lake was saying now that united are Top!! lets see hoe they cope now with Shity breathing down there necks??
is he for real? sad bitter blue
Someone asked about Rooney’s penalties yesterday. He’s taken 10 this season. Scored 7 and missed 3 (I put the City pen in this category since he only scored from the rebound).
What I liked in the game:
Rooney, Chica and Welbeck putting preassure on defenders high up in the pitch. Reminded me of the CL winning season. This forced WB to play the long ball and often easy pickings for us. They seldom got into a rythm.
I think this will be the key for the next couple of weeks. We will be playing lesser teams and stressing these teams into bad buildups, will only help us.
De Gea plucking crosses – more of that. Rio on the field. We need him for every game in the PL for the rest of the season. Actually I would prefer the same back 4 for the remainder og the season.
What a fantastic day yesterday was, and the bertie that was crying had me in stitches for hours. What a joke of a club they are. I think it was Orez on the thread with the GIF of the crying bitter that said we shouldn’t laugh at one person. Sorry mate, but you’ve never met a real City fan then. They are horrible cunts. At the charity shield this year a couple of berties came up to me and said that I was the first white United fan they’d seen that day. Aside from that being total racist bollocks, it’s obviously not true. So I said to them, what’s that got to do with it? And they said something along the lines of true mancs support city etc. the usual shite. Then they called me a munich cunt, spat at me and said I’m not even from Manchester, even though I am. Sums up the berties really. That’s why we happily laugh at this individual’s fucking ridiculous reaction. With 10 games to go they’re a point behind, but they’re crying. Fuck me, they’ve still got a chance. I’ve always said United will come out top, although sometimes this season I’ve been asking how, but realistically those bluenose clowns still have a chance. So why the fuck is he crying?!? Loved that he had champions league badges on his shirt as well. Deluded as ever. I was absolutely loving the fact that they were celebrating prematurely. The amount of berties I’ve seen saying “a new power is rising, blue moon rising, city are back!” When the fuck were City last around!?!? Last league 44 years ago, but they’ve never been serial winners have they? I suppose they are right now, City are back, back to fucking it all up again. It’s ok though. They’re moral champions. Top of the league longer, 1-6, moral victory, courageous crusade against the powers that be, taking back the true blue city, fighting against injustice in the football world, morally winning in their heads. They won against Swansea don’t you know? In Richards head his goal wasn’t disallowed for offside and United lost at Old Trafford. Christ they’re a joke. Honestly, I rarely see berties in the city, even on matchdays, they’re either hiding in a shithole that I’ve never been to, or they don’t exist. Or they’re all at church. I saw a journo today suggest that they need to win some silverware together to get experience, it just shows that outside of Stockport, no one will remember City’s cup win. They are such small no mark wankers. The only reason they’re in the limelight is literally because they’re challenging us. I have a Chelsea mate who said at the start of the season that he would have preferred City over United, but after seeing how fucking dreadful they’re club, fans, manager etc. are, he said he wants United to win. No one knew anything about City before this season, they’ll fade into mediocrity soon enough. Couple more seasons in top four and when they haven’t won a title for 2-3 years, who will stick around? The natural order will be restored, they’ll take their bananas back to Stockport, they’ll stop the poznan bollocks, and we can look down on them as the small little bitter club that comes from the Emptihad.
@lawman10 – Did he really say that? Well going by his statement; they couldn’t cope with us breathing down their necks, says it all!
https://twitter.com/#!/CryingCityFan
@Jeet – as much as I might get slaughtered for this, I don’t really care about our Europa performance. I just want the league, more so now that City are fighting for it. If we manage to get through to the final then we’ll play two games a week for the rest of the season and we’d never be able to play a full strength team for all.
My team would be
DeGea
Rafeal Evans Smalling Fabio
Park Anderson Pogba Nani
Berbatov Hernandez
@Briggsy: I can understand that, even though I may not agree. My gripe is not about how seriously, or otherwise, we take the Europa league. That’s a judgement call. My frustration is with our overall tactical naivety in Europe, which to my mind, was directly responsible for getting us booted out of CL, and for us losing to Ajax and Bilbao at home.
my 11 for Europa;
De Gea
Fabio Smalling Evans Evra
Nani Carrick Giggs Park
Welbeck Rooney
We need to keep fresh but experienced
on the bench;
Amos,Rio,Jones, Young,Scholes,Clevs,Chicharito
so cuntini says “united had an easier game” you fucking wank stain cunt this is why he is no mark fucking glee club looking cunt underestimating these teams is why shitty will win fuck all. hopefully woy hodgson uses that as motivation for when they go to the emptihad in a few weeks. had to laugh at the two bluenoses bibladummy and Yaya fatarse fucked up looking ears Toure having a barny in the tunnel and the traffic cone barry having a go at egg shell head Prat when he was subbed fucking classic!
Lawman10
Mate I was on BBC Manc after the game listening to Paul lake. It was comedy gold you couldnt write it.
another great Rants from BC1968!! u should post more often coz i believe people would Really2 Love reading your post mate!!
Bobby Charlie 1968, firing straight from the hip, followed by Gaz. Fine true words spoken there. Keeping up the fight against the ABU NATION.
@jeet : i believe this willbe how we line up on 15th
DDG
rafael rio evans evra
valencia anderson cleverly nani
giggs/young
rooney
@Brigadier19
Gotta keep the red flag flying mate!
i have to fucking laugh at the Slime bag prick Sewar rat Suarez after the idiotic backing of splinter and the ninja turtles at shiterpool he now is angling for a move to Paris to play with that other Uruguaying cock Slugano. He put the clubs rep right into the mud and now he wants to piss off hahaha! fucking class clown. I actually wish he would captured and returned to the Zoo with the other reptiles.
@Gaz
Your bang on there with respect to Shiterpool, he’s dragged their name further down but has not ruined there reputation. He has just reaffirmed the shit rep they already had. As if people didn’t realise the workings of LFC the new football followers of this world will see what they are. Primarily Granny Fingering, Dole Dossing, Interbreeding, Wax Lyrical we’ve won it 5 times, Its not our fault, we’re always the victim, Dont mind Racism, Long live King Kenny, We ARE Back, Mid Table Mediocrity is only a one off, Next Year will DEFINITELY be our year, horrible repulsive Rat Munchin, we’ll never walk alone, hubcap stealing Bastards.
Sky reports Pogba has signed. Expect the rest to follow now.
Vilhelm, lets hope this is confirmed soon
I guess a lot of people have a lot of back tracking to do, when it’s confirmed…
Good day brethren.it is all wins till season’s end I make bold to assure y’all.not a chance in blazes we taking our foot off d accelerator.gotta love saf.what are we ever gonna do without d boss?I couldn’t bear imagine.it’s time we go back to our utd basics and grind out win on win.perish d thought of slipping.show no fear.fight relentlessly till d expected end.utd shall neva die!I’m out folks.and p.s. all doomsday prophets,naysayers,fault-finders,saf head-on-a-platter callers ROMers are welcome back on board frm ur hiding lair.we all need to row in d same direction.
gaz – he can pull a state up that we are the only top 6 side that have won at swansea
I mean stat
FITB – What do you feel about the lad Joe Allan from Swansea? Seems a tidy little player and he’s a United fan too.
WillieRedNut – he is a very good player, he does sum up the football culture at swansea, where they from the back to front. I said at the start of the season, swansea out footballed shitty, and their inexperience in the premiership showed through second half. But back on allen, he is probably the type of player united need in the engine room, very good on the ball and always looks for the forward pass, because its when we play players who are not good with ball to feet in the middle it is when united have struggled. And with swansea’s championship budget, he could be snapped up
fitb @ 14:19: ” on allen, he is probably the type of player united need in the engine room, very good on the ball and always looks for the forward pass, because its when we play players who are not good with ball to feet in the middle it is when united have struggled.”
Isn’t that what YoungTom is supposed to do ? Isn’t that what “OldPaul” has done for years – and shows only “signs” of aging ?
For what it’s worth, UTD need someone in midfield who is more of an “all-rounder” – what some like to call a “defensive midfielder” or a “destroyer”, who harrasses the other team’s “play-maker”. That’s what Owen Hargreaves was signed to do; that’s what DarrenFletcherinho did superbly when he was in his “football genius” mode. AND, I believe that’s what MrJones could do very well if he’s taken out of the back line and allowed to play to his natural strengths.
For all the talk about “this-guy” or “that-guy” – flavours of the moment like Iker Muniain, spring instantly to mind – what SAF’s NewUTD need above all is a decent run WITHOUT injuries so that we can see what the wily OldFootieKnight has been a-building.
FITB – Thanks pal. Looks a decent player to me, no matter what denton says lol. Could be an alternative if other deals don’t go to plan. You can never have enough good ball players in your team. Seems Bilbao may have opened Fergie’s eyes to that fact!
Heres a new verse to “Tr la la la, We all hate City”
We’ve seen off the Scousers, the Arsenal, Chelsea too,
Now were gonna topple, a team in lazer blue,
We’re on the march wih Fergie,
We’ve won it 19 times,
And when we win it 20,
We’ll all sing this rhyme,
Tra la la lah, we all hate City, tra la la la la la la la lah!
WillieRedNut @ 15:43: “You can never have enough good ball players in your team. Seems Bilbao may have opened Fergie’s eyes to that fact!”
Golly, gee ! D’ya think he didn’t know that already ?
What Bilbao did that “may have opened Fergie’s eyes” was moving without the ball to create space/options for the passer AND harassing the opponent with the ball. That’s why the combined loss of Owen Hargreaves and DarrenFletcherinho (who will never regain his “football genius” mode with his medical condition) has taken UTD down a couple of pegs and made them relatively passive in midfield.
TheGingerNinja tries to be a “ball winner” (when paired with the relatively-passive Michael Carrick) but he’s no longer got the legs/stamina for that role. Inadvertently, SAF found a promising solution to that problem by pairing the young, energetic, and dynamic MrJones with MIchael Carrick BUT the onslaught of injuries to the other defenders has meant that SAF has often had no option but to give MrJones a lot of playing time in the back four – and it’s pretty obvious to me that he’s unlikely to be as good in that role as he could be as a midfield “ball-winner”.
My other point is that I’m sure Joe Allen is good on the ball – Tom Cleverley is, too. And Paul Pogba – assuming that he has really signed on for another four years – has plenty to offer in that department. However, while “you can never have enough good ball players in your team”, it’s a fact that you can only play eleven guys at once – and if you don’t have a guy to get the ball to the ball player then there’s a problem. AND that’s got to be the starting-point of any discussion about new midfielders.
Furthermore, since SAF likes to emphasize width, the demands for ball-winning for a central midfielder in his teams are particularly serious. For about twenty years – the Age of Robbo and then the Age of Keane-o – UTD were able to field outstanding talents in this role – abetted by Paul Ince and, for a while, Nicky Butt (whatever happened to him ?). Since the demise of Keane-o and the rise of Michael Carrick, the midfield has lacked snarling, biting aggressive ball-winning – Owen Hargreaves seemed to be ideal and then DarrenFletcherinho (in his “football genius” mode) flared into prominence but their injuries/illness have deprived SAF of a critical tool from his kit-bag.
Finally, for all the ooh-ing and aw-ing about Iker Muniain (or Mario Goetze or Christian Eriksen or Luka Modric (gasp ! choke !!] or WeeWesley), this kind of player is not what’s missing from the present squad. With TheWayneBoy playing in the “withdrawn striker” role, no one else is going to get a look-in as a “play-maker” or “attacking midfielder” as Dimmy’s experience (and lack of playing-time) has shown those who care to look at what SAF is doing with his team. In an ideal world – fantasy football – there would be a place for a Muniain or a Goetze or an Eriksen but I’d be very, very surprised if SAF has targeted this kind of player in his transfer plans. He’d much rather have an injury-free YoungTom and someone else like Javi Martinez (?) who he could slot into that ball-winner’s role.
Denton – I was only asking fitb on Joe Allan’s ability. No need to go onto overdrive. Also, Golly and Gee? This isn’t 1950s America! Lol.
*into* that should be.
denton davey – I know cleverly does, but it never hurts to have yet another to probably replace anderson in the long term. Look what the success barcelona have had having 2 ball playing midfielders, it keeps their side ticking and if cleverly is not available it wont hurt the way united would play. I am not saying get allen, but many have gone nuts we need more crreativity. I do not think we need a destroyer, barca have proven this, for me I would rather united get more players that can hold the ball. And if allen continue’s to improve imagine a midfield combo of allen and cleverly who could be a scholes carrick playmaking combo which for me should be the way forward
WillieRedNut – look at the success carrick and scholes have given united, they keep the ball moving and their passing ability gets the likes of valencia nani young into the game. I do not want destroyers, for me I want players who are footballing midfielders, the keane days for united are over, I do not want united revirting to dirty tactics by kicking teams, and destroying midfielders are not going to help our wide boys, like you have said you cannot get enough ball playing midfielders
FITB – I think Fergie is looking for a creative type of CM. Hence, we went for both Nasri and Sneijder. That’s how I see it anyway. Still believe we need someone sitting in front of the back 4. If Fletcher doesn’t recover from his illness, we might see United buying someone to cover that position. Of course, we’ve got Tunni back at the club now. And hopefully Pogba too!
WillieRedNut – the dream player would be someone like alonzo, a deep lying playmaker that shields the back 4 but can make the forward passes. Nasri is not a natural CM, WS to play a 433 maybe would have been perfect, but like I said 2 to 4 years to late now
I also heard the bluenoses on GMR straight after the game as we were waiting for the traffic to clear and me and the wife were in stitches. One guy came on and said the present city team don’t play anything like they did last time they won the league….! Really? Nothing is the same as it was back in 68′ for fucks sake we’ve been to the moon and back.
Willie/FITB – yeah, but…
Only eleven can play at one time and SAF seems VERY committed to having two wide-men on the pitch.
So, let’s do the math: four defenders, four front-men gives places for just two midfielders, of whom one is Michael Carrick (for the foreseeable future) which gives just a place for AN-other.
Of course, it’s a squad game but – age and injuries taken into consideration – SAF already has Scholes and Giggs ( for the short term ) and longer-term guys like Cleverley and Pogba (?) as well as the enigma that is Anderson for the other place.
What he really doesn’t have is someone like DarrenFletcherinho ( in the “football genius” mode ) although I understand that there are very, very high hopes that Ryan Tunnicliffe might be that guy – or MrJones.
The comparion with Barcelona is tricky because their midfield ball players – Xavi, Iniesta, and Cesc – are three of the very best players in the world while Biscuits is an infuriating dick but he’s also very, very good in “the Carrick role”, shielding the defense and giving the ball to one of those other guys ( or Dani Alves or Messi) as soon as possible. The comparison is “tricky” because only Scholes/Giggs IN THEIR POMP – almost ten years ago – can be mentioned in the same breath with the six I just named. Besides, SAF isn’t going to fight-fire-with-fire so – realistically – UTD are going to look for a “different” type of midfielder.
Denton … yes, he might look for a different type of midfielder. Or he might take an alternative approach and adapt the team’s style to suit the players he does have (or can be reasonably sure of obtaining). A lot of managers have preconceived notions of “how the game should be played”, and will try to build a team to execute that. Fergie has a general philosophy (fast attack using width, solid defense) but I think he’s proven more adaptable than many managers. He’ll cut the suit to fit the cloth, as they say. And that may have been one of his strengths over the years. The trouble with attempting to impose and maintain a particular style and tactical approach, as most managers do, is that it’s not always possible to get the right players just when you need them, it’s easy for the manager to become stale over time, the team becomes predictable to opposition managers, and it becomes inflexible in the face of innovation from other managers.
Thanks god for Massey!
Denton – If Pogba signs on for another 4 years, we might see less of Jones in midfield next season. Going by the bosses comments on Pogba being a 1st team player of course. Tunni had a productive spell at Peterboro. Really impressed everyone down there. Whether he goes out on loan again, like Clevs done, is still not known. If you take tunni and Pogba as squad players next year, that’s alot of players to accommodate in the center of the park. If you believe we’ll continue to play a 442. I’d love to see a 433/4231 next season. Not every game mind. Could you imagine Pogba/Clevs/Carrick in a 3 man midfield? The odd man out here, Anderson. Is his place under threat from Pogba staying at United? Injury prone and inconsistent. I would say yes.
WillieRedNut @ 21:04: “The odd man out here, Anderson. Is his place under threat from Pogba staying at United? Injury prone and inconsistent. I would say yes.”
No question about that – he must be under immense pressure to prove himself. How many games has he actually played in four-plus years ? How many games has he actually starred in ? How many games has he been “peripheral” or coming-back-to-fitness ? The potential is there but “potential” doesn’t mean much with a guy who is now 23/24; he needs to produce “production”.
StateSideAussie @ 20:34: I’d agree that SAF has tried to accommodate his best players – as was the case with CR7 – but he seems rather inflexible in regard to those who are next-best. Those nearly-men have to fit into his system and for some that’s difficult because someone better is in their way: in Anderson’s case, he’s behind TheWayneBoy in that “support striker” role and his game has been changed to see if his talents can be reconfigured to the benefit of the team’s formation or shape. It would be hard to argue that Anderson’s time at UTD has been a “success”.
It’s not shocking City lost, United will probably lose again this season too.
MC #1 in home form #2 in away from
MU #2 in home form #1 in away form.
Man City are on course for 90 points
Man Utd for 89 points
That’s based on current home/away form projections
Man City can go 5 wins 1 draw at home and still continue their terrible away form and win 2 draw 2 lose 1 and that gives them 90 points.
That poor away form from City can’t last forever so they may get even more points than 90.
But the pressure, eh?
In addition to the mf mentioned over, at Barca, people are forgetting Mascerano who has helped at CD, Keita and maybe the brightest prospect in the world, Tiago. In addition to that they operate with mf/winger/tweeners over on the right with Pedro/Sanches/Affelay fighting it out. So Barca have a whole host of midfielders…
The thing about United this year, is that we havent gone far (enough) in any competiton, something we usually do, meaning we have lost out on many games. This results in less playing time for the squad. This could be due to injuries or due to the fact that our second best arent good enough or maybe they are to young – or maybe a combination of all three.
SAF knows the drill and has done it before. He has the plan and hopefully he gets the money. Changes will be made and SAF will not let this kind of season happen again. I am pretty certain of that.
In spite of only 2 games as a sub, Pogba has shown promise. He has come on and played fairly well. That bodes well for the future, when an 18 year old can enter a game and the quality of play doesn’t drop.
Btw – the guy I would love to see get a chance next year is Van Velzen, in my eyes thats a prospect. I can’t remember the last time I saw a player like that. Lets hope he gets to join the team this summer and gets a chance to pley left winger…